Woman suspected of stealing painting, police say

MADISON, Wis. — A woman was arrested after an investigation into the theft of a painting from the Catholic Multicultural Center in Madison.

Police said surveillance video helped them identify Lasandra B. Matthews, 49, and arrest her on suspicion of theft.
A copy of Father John Giuliani’s “The Holy Family” was removed Feb. 16 from a wall at the center on Beld Street.

Matthews was in jail on an unrelated charge and arrested last week. Police said she did not want to talk about the painting.

Officers have been unable to locate the $200 painting. The painting has more than monetary value to the center.

“The depiction of the Holy Family as a Pueblo family symbolically connects Native and Christian people at a facility where those from all walks of life are welcomed and assisted,” a release from the Madison Police Department said.

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