Fencing paintings to their original owners proves to be a bad idea Fencing paintings to their original owners proves to be a bad idea (December 14, 2005)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

If it weren't for bad luck, some people would have no luck at all.

Back on November 23, thieves stole paintings worth $75,000 to $100,000 belonging to the Sense Fine Art Gallery, a regional gallery with locations in San Francisco and unincorporated Menlo Park. The paintings had been removed from the gallery's van, which San Francisco police recovered.

Starting in early December, Sense's Menlo Park gallery at 3500 Alameda de las Pulgas began receiving calls requesting appraisals of a painting that sounded familiar to the gallery owners. Three stings were set up but the callers never showed, said Capt. Don O'Keefe of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office.

The callers did follow through on the fourth call and sheriff's deputies arrested Deanna Joao, 46, of South San Francisco at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, December 11. In her possession were two of the gallery's paintings, police said.

Police also arrested Derek Hanson, 41, of South San Francisco and Jeffrey Harp, 33, of San Francisco, who were with Ms. Joao but fled and were captured in the 2100 block of Gordon Avenue in West Menlo Park. Mr. Hanson is being treated at Stanford Hospital after being bitten by a Menlo Park police dog when he tried to escape and attacked the dog, police said.

Anyone with information about the case should call sheriff's Detective-Sergeant Jerry Quinlan at 363-4058.

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