A rock-for-brains buffoon allegedly stole geodes worth thousands of dollars from an art center in ritzy Rye, but was nabbed while attempting to pawn the goods on Facebook Marketplace, according to reports.
Kyle Folkes, 27, was arrested during a Facebook Marketplace meetup at Harbor Island Park in neighboring Mamaroneck in Westchester County on Tuesday when he unknowingly scheduled a sale with an undercover cop.
Folkes, of New Rochelle, was allegedly selling a batch of geodes that were taken from a display at the Rye Arts Center a week earlier.
Reports said that the coveted collection was valued at $10,908, according to the Rye Police Department.
A Facebook frequenter reported Folkes’ eyebrow-raising sale, according to reports.
The geodes were donated to the RAC by local benefactor Robert R. Wiener, MyRye.com reported. Since the center has no outdoor security cameras, police largely relied on the public for information, the outlet said.
Nine geodes were reportedly stolen between March 20 and March 23. It’s not immediately clear how many were in Folkes’ possession.
“We are really disappointed that this happened,” RAC Executive Director Adam Levi told MyRye.com. “The geodes brighten everyone’s day when they see them, especially the kids who regularly stop by to enjoy them in the garden. They truly are ‘nature’s art.’ Hoping that whoever took them has a change of heart and returns them to their home.”
Folkes was charged with third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, which could land him behind bars for up to seven years, the report said.
He was released on his own recognizance and is due back in court on April 9.
The geodes were taken in as evidence but will be returned to the RAC at the tail-end of the investigation, the Larchmont Loop reported.
The theft is still under investigation.
