Mother, son charged after stolen Suni Lee statue allegedly found in their St. Paul apartment

A mother and son are now charged after a stolen statue of Olympic gold medal gymnast Suni Lee was allegedly found in their St. Paul apartment.

Tamica Bazinet, 44, and Dashawn Caradine, 22, each face one felony count of receiving stolen property.

St. Paul police officers said in Ramsey County criminal complaints they found the bronze bust — stolen from Phalen Regional Park last year — on Friday in the apartment shared by Bazinet and Caradine on St. Paul’s east side while responding to a shots-fired call.

Police said they found spent shell casings on the stairway to the upper-unit apartment, which they entered to check for injuries.

“Officers did not find any person in need of medical assistance at that time, but they did see a bronze bust of Olympic gold medalist Sunisa Lee that had been stolen from Phalen Park in July 2025 in plain view,” the complaint alleges.

Officers were granted a search warrant and recovered the statue, along with a handgun and ammunition.

Caradine told officers that he knew the stolen bust had been in the apartment for about a month, according to the charging documents.

Bazinet told investigators she found the statue “in some bushes down the street” about a month ago and brought it home, prosecutors said in her criminal complaint. She reportedly said she looked up the statue and discovered it had been stolen — but did not know who to contact to return it.

Bazinet has past convictions for burglary and receiving stolen property.

The court documents do not indicate who authorities believe stole the statue, or a motive for the theft.

The police department said the statue was recovered intact and plans are underway to reinstall it at Phalen Regional Park.

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