A Fenton man is offering a $500 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to the recovery of an old stainless steel gate that recently was stolen from a vacant commercial building at 3032 High Ridge Boulevard in High Ridge.
The building originally was a bank, but most recently was a Carquest Auto parts store.
Dave Walters bought the building on March 6 and noticed the gate missing that day.
It was stolen sometime between Feb. 22 and that date, Walters said.
The gate, which is 6 1/2 feet tall and 3 feet wide, is from the 1960s.
Walters said he plans to restore the building to its original look and wants the gate back.
“It’s a unique building, and it (the gate) was an integral part of the building,” he said. “It’s very ornate. It has carvings on it.”
Walters said it could cost $5,000 or more to have a similar gate custom made.
He said the gate used to be just outside the bank vault, but when the building was converted to an auto parts store, the gate was moved to another area inside the store.
He said the building was vacated in November and the previous owners said they did not take the gate.
Walters said he may lease the building to another business for a few years, but he eventually wants to run a classic car business out of the approximately 2,500-square-foot building.
He said he has taken a photo of the gate to local pawn shops and salvage yards, hoping to find it there, but had no luck.
“Someone has to know something about that gate,” he said. “I’m not worried about prosecution; I just want the gate back.”
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the theft, Capt. Ron Arnhart said.
As of today (March 30), the gate had not been recovered, and there were no suspects or arrests, he said.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call the Sheriff’s Office at 636-797-5515.