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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Mother and Son Charged After Stolen Suni Lee Bronze Bust Found in Saint Paul Apartment
Police discovered the missing sculpture while investigating gunfire at an East Side residence more than a year after it disappeared from Phalen Regional Park.
SAINT PAUL, MN (September 1, 2026) A Saint Paul mother and her adult son are facing felony charges after police investigating a shots-fired call discovered the stolen bronze bust of Olympic champion gymnast Sunisa "Suni" Lee inside their East Side apartment.
Dashawn Tyree Caradine, 22, and Tamica Nicole Bazinet, 44, have each been charged with one felony count of receiving stolen property in Ramsey County.
The charges represent the latest development in a case that began more than a year ago when the bronze sculpture honoring Lee disappeared from Phalen Regional Park.
The bust was reported stolen July 31, 2025.
Police recovered it early Friday while responding to reports of gunfire at a multi-unit residence in the 900 block of Forest Street.
According to court documents, officers arriving at the building found spent cartridge casings from three different calibers on a staircase.
Police surrounded the residence and directed occupants of an upstairs unit to come outside.
Eight people eventually exited.
Officers entered the unit to determine whether anyone had been injured and saw the bronze bust while inside, according to the criminal complaints.
Investigators subsequently obtained a search warrant.
Police recovered the sculpture from a bedroom closet along with a handgun and ammunition of multiple calibers.
Caradine allegedly acknowledged knowing that the bust was inside the home and told investigators it had been there for approximately a month.
Bazinet gave police a different account.
According to the charging documents, she told investigators she had found the sculpture in bushes down the street but did not know whom to contact to return it.
Prosecutors subsequently charged both residents with receiving stolen property.
The charges do not necessarily establish who originally removed the bust from Phalen Regional Park.
Receiving stolen property generally centers on possessing, receiving or transferring property while knowing or having reason to know that it was stolen.
The sculpture honors Lee, the Saint Paul-raised gymnast who became one of Minnesota's most internationally recognized athletes after winning the women's all-around gymnastics gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
The theft attracted widespread attention in Saint Paul and prompted public efforts to locate the sculpture.
By coincidence, the original bust's recovery came as the community was preparing to restore Lee's likeness to the park.
A replacement sculpture was unveiled at Phalen Regional Park Sunday.
The recovered original is now evidence in an active criminal case.
Caradine and Bazinet are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
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