[meteorite-list] NPA, Daily Southtown April 28, 2003: Park Forest, Winslow Dr.

[MARK BOSTICK]

.Paper: Daily Southtown
City: Chicago/Tinley Park, IL
Date: Monday, April 28, 2003


Meteorite coming 'home'
Park Forest police track down piece accidentally sold to collector
By Erika Enigk


A meteorite sold to a collector by a Park Forest resident is on its way back 
to the village.
Park Forest police Capt. Francis DioGuardi said a piece of a meteorite that 
fell in the village on March 27 landed in Winslow Drive where another piece 
had hit a house.
Many residents who found meteorites that day stored them at the police 
department for safekeeping, he said.
DioGuardi said someone at the police department accidentally gave someone 
the wrong meteorite when she came in to collect her piece. The resident then 
sold the meteorite to Michael Farmer of Tucson, Ariz.
DioGuardi said the police department asked Farmer to return the piece to the 
village because it was the village's property. Farmer plans to return the 
meteorite without compensation, DioGuardi said.
The police department won't file charges because the mistake was made by the 
police department, DioGuardi said.
"We're not implying or even suggesting that there was criminal activity," he 
said. The village just wanted Farmer to "do the right thing" and return the 
piece.
Farmer was not available for comment.
Village manager Janet Muchnik said the meteorite will go to Chicago's Field 
Museum along with a meteorite that crashed through the roof of the village's 
fire department.
"I've got a contract with them for the other one, and I would imagine this 
one will just go into the same contract," she said. "It's a much smaller 
piece, but it's a very dramatic piece because half is white and half is 
black."
Scientists believe the difference in color is a result of the meteorite 
colliding with other meteors in space, she said.



(end )

Mark Bostick
www.meteoritearticles.com