Free Republic

The trial of a Delaware man who confessed last year to drunkenly snapping off the finger of an ancient Chinese terra-cotta warrior statue at the Franklin Institute ended in a mistrial Tuesday, after the jury reported it was deadlocked on whether prosecutors had charged him under the appropriate law. The panel of seven men and five women spent roughly 11 hours debating the fate of Michael Rohana, 25, of Bear, but was unable to reach a verdict on counts including theft and concealment of an object of cultural heritage. U.S. District Judge Petrese B. Tucker dismissed jurors just after 4:30...

Chinese authorities are livid over the theft of a thumb from a 2,000-year-old terracotta warrior on loan to a US museum, calling for the perpetrator to be "severely" punished. The ancient statue is valued at $4.5 million and considered a "priceless part of China's cultural heritage." It was on display at Philadelphia's Franklin Institute when the vandalism took place. "We call on the United States to severely punish those who have done [this]," Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relic Exchange Center's director told the Beijing Youth Daily, a state-run Chinese newspaper. The warrior statues date back to 209 B.C., when the...

PHILADELPHIA - A statue that stood guard, buried and undamaged for more than 2,000 years, couldn’t contend with a man at a private party in Philadelphia who just had to sneak off and take a selfie, according to multiple media reports. The man, later identified as Michael Rohana, 24, was seen in a restricted area at the Franklin Institute during a party on Dec. 21 that was held after-hours at the museum, The New York Times reported. FBI officials said Rohana used his cellphone’s flash as a light source to see the displays. He then put his arm around one...