UPDATE: Arsonist Destroys Austin Grackle Statue

UPDATE: 67-year-old Rodney Lynn Cook has been arrested as the prime suspect for the crime and has been charged with Criminal Mischief, which is a state jail felony.

Early this morning (March 2nd) a statue of a grackle that stood in front of Austin City Hall was burned to the ground. Where once a giant grackle stood proudly and defiantly, now remains a charred slab with some metal. The grackle, named Ganador, was created by Christy Stallop and was constructed mainly using recycled tires. Firefighters were called to action shortly after the fire had started, but the flames spread too fast and the grackle statue was inevitably engulfed and consumed Ganador before they arrived.

A suspect thought to have been the arsonist in the video was released because they turned out not to be the perpetrator. The arsonist is still currently at large and police are requesting information to bring this criminal to justice. The expected cost of the damages from the fire are totaling to be around $5,000. A special thank you goes out to the crew of CBS Austin for providing the information and staying on top of the situation with updates and you can find more about this crime on their site. If you have any information to provide that can help locate this sculpture slayer, do not keep it to yourself and please pass it along to the authorities.