Necklace Thief Faces a Brush With the Law

Portrait painter Ralph Wolfe Cowan turned to the weapon he knows best--his paint brush--after he was robbed this week of a $1,000 gold necklace.

The artist, who has been commissioned to paint such dignitaries as Pope John Paul II and Prince Rainier, painted a portrait of his attacker and gave it to police.

Cowan, 57, said he was confident it was an accurate likeness. “I have a photographic memory,” he said.

“In my 10 years with the department, I’ve never seen anybody go to this extreme,” Detective Jack Yates said. Officers were shown the portrait and some were able to name some suspects.