TACOMA, Wash. (AP) — A 43-year-old man has been criminally charged in connection with breaking a $120,000 glass sculpture at the Tacoma Art Museum.
The News Tribune reports the man has been charged with one count of first-degree malicious mischief in the Friday incident.
Court documents say the man entered a closed exhibit and knocked a Dale Chihuly sculpture titled "Gilded Lavender Ikebana with Lapis Stem and Two Leaves" to the floor, shattering it. Chihuly is a Washington native known for his colorful, other-worldly glass creations.
The man reportedly was stopped by museum staff who confronted him as he headed toward another closed exhibit.
Court records show the charged Tacoma man has a history of mental illness. He pleaded not guilty Monday in Superior Court and remains in jail on $20,000 bail.