Man pleads guilty to stealing MLK monument in Denver and vandalizing it

DENVER — A man arrested earlier this year in connection with theft and vandalism of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. monument pleaded guilty in Denver City Park and was sentenced.

Robert Duran, 47, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of criminal mischief ($20,000 to $100,000), according to court documents. He received two years of deferred imprisonment and paid $69,900 in restitution.

Robert Durand turned himself in to the Denver Police Department at the end of February. At the time, police were searching for a second suspect, later identified as Herman Duran. He was arrested on March 10..

Herman Duran’s arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 7 in Denver District Court.

The vandalism was reported on February 21. Dr. Vern Howard, president of the Colorado Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Commission, told Denver7 that a bronze panel depicting black Americans who fought in U.S. wars was removed, along with two decorative emblems depicting the angel of love and the torch of freedom. The parts were found at a scrap yard about a week later. Howard estimated the damage at about $75,000, if not more.

The Martin Luther King Jr. monument in a Denver city park was vandalized overnight.

The City and County of Denver and Mayor Wellington Webb commissioned the statue.

Introduced in 2001, it was the idea of ​​Wilma J. Webb, a former state representative and wife of Denver’s first black mayor, Wellington Webb.