Stolen meteorite found on sale at gun show

LAKEVILLE, Ind. – A piece of meteorite stolen from a museum was recovered after a man who owns another slice of the same rock saw it at a gun show.\nSomeone stole the 12-by-16-inch meteorite slice valued at $5,000 from the Joshua Tree Earth and Space Museum in Lakeville about two weeks ago.\nOn Saturday, museum founder Terry Boswell got a call from a friend and fellow meteorite collector who was working at a gun show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis.\n“He said, ‘I think I found your meteorite,’” Boswell said, “and I couldn’t believe it.”\nNeil Smith told Boswell that a man was trying sell the rock but left it behind before police arrived. Boswell said Smith owns another slice of the meteorite and was one of the few people in the world who could have identified it.\n“The odds of someone stealing this meteorite and then taking it to the person who has the sister piece is unbelievable,” Boswell said. “There are only a handful of people in the world who would be able to identify it with certainty, and here he goes right to this fellow who knew it was stolen.”\nThe name of the man who tried to sell the meteorite has been given to the Lakeville police, who are searching for him, Boswell said.\nThe meteorite is being stored in the museum office, while Boswell looks for ways to increase security.\nBoswell created the museum about 10 miles south of South Bend as a place where children could get hands-on experiences with objects like fossils and meteorites.\nHe said the museum is looking for ways to increase security.