St. Paul mother and son charged after stolen Suni Lee statue found in apartment

Key points

• Tamica Bazinet, 44, and Dashawn Caradine, 22, were charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property each.
• The bronze bust of Suni Lee was stolen from Phalen Regional Park on July 31, 2025, and recovered in a bedroom closet on the 900 block of Forest Street.
• Police discovered the statue while responding to a shots-fired call; they also recovered a handgun and ammunition during a safety sweep.
• Bazinet told investigators she found the statue in bushes nearby and did not know how to return it after discovering it was stolen.
• Caradine stated he knew the statue had been in the apartment for approximately one month and claimed the recovered gun was not his.
• The artist who created the bust valued it at $6,700, and St. Paul police plan to reinstall it at Phalen Regional Park.

Background

This incident follows a pattern of public art theft and recovery in Minnesota, though no specific prior local cases are detailed in the archive. The archive contains unrelated crime stories, including a Hollywood apartment shooting and a hot-car death case, but none provide direct background on the Suni Lee statue theft. The statue had been missing for over a year before its recovery.

How outlets are covering it

MPR News and FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul both report the core facts of the charges and the discovery during a shots-fired call. FOX 9 provides additional detail, noting that Caradine claimed 40 people were in the unit during the shooting and that the recovered gun had an extended magazine. MinnPost offers a brief summary in its daily roundup, focusing on the homeowner's claim of finding the statue in bushes. All sources agree on the felony charges and the statue's recovery, but FOX 9 emphasizes the chaotic nature of the shooting scene, while MPR News highlights Bazinet's prior criminal history, including six felony convictions for burglary and receiving stolen property.

Why it matters

The case highlights the vulnerability of public art in urban parks and the challenges in recovering stolen items. It also underscores the intersection of unrelated crimes, as the statue was found during a response to a shooting, leading to felony charges for receiving stolen property. The recovery of a high-value, culturally significant item like the Suni Lee bust demonstrates the importance of community reporting and police response in resolving thefts.

What to watch

St. Paul police plan to reinstall the bronze bust at Phalen Regional Park, though no specific timeline has been announced. Caradine is scheduled for a future court appearance in October, while Bazinet has been charged via warrant. The investigation into the shooting remains ongoing, with no arrests made in that case.