It was lost, but it has been found.
A $16,000 painting swiped from a new wing at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose has been recovered, according to the CEO of the Valley Medical Center Foundation and artist Nick Gentry, the creator of the piece.
"It's a shame that it happened but, you know, definitely relieved that it's ended up back where it belongs," Gentry said.
The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office on Thursday tweeted a photo of a suspect walking out the new Sobrato Pavilion at the hospital with the artwork in hand. Two days later, the sheriff's office announced that Francisco Romero, 39, of San Jose had been booked into jail for stealing the piece, but the piece itself had yet to be located.
"That's never happened before for me," Gentry said of the heist. "The first time this happens, you expect it to be from somewhere like a gallery or maybe somebody's apartment, but actually from a hospital was shocking."
The breakthrough in the case came on Sunday when the artwork was recovered in good condition, according to the sheriff's office. Additional details regarding the recovery were not immediately available.
Gentry noted that word of the discovery came as a "massive relief."
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"I feel totally relieved now," he said. "It's been a bit of whirlwind few days really."
Christopher Wilder, CEO of the VMC Foundation, which raises money for the hospital, said the painting will be put back where it once was on display. He added that measures may be taken to better protect the painting from being swiped again.
