It's a case of lost and found for a Pablo Picasso drawing stolen from an art gallery Tuesday in San Francisco.
The 1965 pencil drawing, "Tete de Femme," was hanging in the Weinstein Gallery when, witnesses said, a man walked through the entrance, took the drawing off the wall and left in a waiting cab. The sketch is worth an estimated $275,000.
Today, police arrested Mark Lugo, 30, of New Jersey on charges of burglary, grand theft, possession of stolen property and possession of narcotics.
After a series of investigative leads, San Francisco police said, they arrested Lugo at a hotel in Napa, Calif., where his hotel room was searched and the missing Picasso sketch was recovered.
Lugo invoked his right to remain silent, so, authorities said, they don't know what he was doing in San Francisco or if he traveled to steal the painting.
"I think a 48-hour turnaround on a crime like this another case of just unbelievable police work," San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr said.
The pencil sketch isn't damaged, but the frame was removed, authorities said.
Two surveillance videos and other tips helped lead to Lugo's arrest. The first video came from a restaurant on the block, Lefty O'Douls, and showed a man matching police and witnesses' descriptions carrying a framed piece of art.
His most notable attribute was that he was wearing a dark jacket and loafers with no socks. According to police, the frame size appeared to be the same dimensions as the stolen Picasso -- 10.5 by 8.5 inches.
