Man Faces Long Prison Term After Frank Lloyd Wright Chair Theft

A man who pleaded guilty to stealing a chair designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright from the Price Tower faces a long prison sentence for another theft.

In December, Rodney Crane pleaded guilty to stealing the chair from the 19th floor of the tower on October 4, 2015.  

Bartlesville Police said a tip led them to Crane, 39. Police found the chair when they searched his apartment and said Crane admitted to stealing it.  

11/6/2015: Related Story: Stolen Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Chair Found In Bartlesville

Police also recovered a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed gate stolen from the Price home and some sewing machines taken from a business across the street from Crane's apartment in mid-October.

Crane pleaded guilty to 2nd-degree burglary and grand larceny in that case on December 16, 2015. The judge released him on his own recognizance after ordering him to get a psychiatric evaluation.

He was then charged with burglarizing a house on December 25, 2015.

The detective working that case checked surveillance video from a Bartlesville grocery store that showed a man using credit cards taken in the burglary. The detective wrote in the probable cause report that the detective recognized Crane from the stolen-chair case. Detectives arrested Crane in the new case on December 28. 

On Wednesday, January 20, 2016, Crane entered a blind plead to charges of 1st-degree burglary, concealing stolen property, 2nd-degree burglary and using a forged credit card. 

Prosecutors recommended he get 20 years in prison. His sentencing is set for April 6, 2016.