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AFD says investigators have arrested man responsible for setting City Hall grackle statue on fire

Published  March 3, 2020 7:49am CST
Downtown
FOX 7 Austin

Suspect arrested for setting grackle statue on fire

The sculpture was created as part of a City of Austin project and was made, in part, from tires.

AUSTIN, Texas - The Austin Fire Department says its arson investigators arrested the man who is responsible for setting the grackle statue at City Hall on fire.

In a tweet, AFD says 67-year-old Rodney Lynn Cook was arrested early this morning on a state jail felony charge of criminal mischief. The charge carries a possible punishment of 180 days to two years in jail.

Cook's bond has been set at $15,000.

Officials had released video yesterday of a person lighting the "Ganador" grackle statue on fire and leaving. 

Based on eyewitness information and a subsequent field identification, AFD Arson Investigators had initially arrested a suspect, but, after seeing video footage of the fire once City Hall opened for the day, that suspect was released. 

RELATED: Austin Fire Department releases video of suspect who burned “Ganador” the grackle sculpture at City Hall

The name "Ganador" means "winner" in Spanish. The sculpture was one of several sponsored by the city during its TEMPO 2019 project. According to Stallop's website, the sculpture was eight feet tall, and nine feet long. It was made of polystyrene and up-cycled tires from Austin's Yellow Bike Project.