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Owner Retrieves Rhino From Tampa Police Impound Lot

News Channel 8 photo by PAUL LAMISON

Tampa police have recovered a steel sculpture of a rhinoceros that was stolen this week from Rustic Steel Creations in Tampa.

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By VALERIE KALFRIN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 11, 2008

Updated: 07/11/2008 12:58 pm

TAMPA - Some people come to the Tampa Police Department's impound lot to reclaim a car.

Dominique Martinez and Drew Danecki arrived there today to retrieve a rhino.

The 200-pound sculpture of a rhinoceros that Martinez and his crew at Rustic Steel Creations built in 2004 vanished during the July 4 holiday. Crafted from leftover rebar, it stood, with a raised front foot, inside a fenced spot outside the business at 114 S. 12th St.

Martinez said he noticed the fence damaged and the rhino missing on Tuesday. The piece is about 10 feet long and 5 feet wide and worth an estimated $2,000.

"I figured somebody pulled a prank," Martinez said, but he was upset nonetheless. "You put a lot of work into a piece of art, and when it's stolen, it's discouraging."

He and Danecki scouted the neighborhood to see whether the rhino was in a nearby lot or a yard, without success.

Thursday, the artists learned the creature had been kicking up its heels in western Hillsborough County, roughly 17 miles from their studio. The manager of The Round Up, a country nightclub at 13918 W. Hillsborough Ave., heard about the theft on the news and called Martinez's company.

"He said, 'This is the rhino that's been sitting in my parking spot,' " Martinez recalled.

An attempt to reach the manager was unsuccessful this morning.

Police corralled the beast at the South 34th Street impound lot, where Martinez signed paperwork to retrieve it. He and Danecki carried the sculpture out to a flat trailer to share space with Dragonem, a 10-foot dragon they built from spare metal and computer parts.

The artists drive Dragonem throughout Tampa. "A dragon needs fresh air," Danecki said. They also display the piece at the city's annual dragon-boat competition.

Although the dragon is recognizable, the rhino has a special place in their hearts.

"It's what the company stands for," said Martinez, who quit his job as a venture capitalist roughly seven years ago to build his own business. "Rhinos go after what they want, and they don't stop until they get it. They go after it with a vengeance without looking back."

Police said today they have no leads in the theft. Martinez said he likely will anchor the rhino to keep anyone from stealing it again.

As Danecki lashed the rhino's feet to the trailer before hitting the road, Martinez cheered.

"Awesome! Got him back," he said. "Now he goes back home to Channelside."

Reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800 or vkalfrin@tampatrib.com.

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