Silt is looking for whoever beheaded the mountain town’s controversial naked climber, a prominent sculpture in a roundabout at 9th and Main streets.

The Garfield County town of 2,500 commissioned the 5-ton work by Rifle sculptor Blaine Peters. In one of the town’s busiest intersections, a life-size rock climber’s nude buttocks are exposed to the street.

The piece was criticized by some locals after it was unveiled last August, and someone briefly covered the climber’s derriere with a cloth until town workers took it down.

Sometime between Wednesday and Saturday nights, the climber was beheaded, while its buttocks were left unscathed.

Garfield County Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward, and tipsters can remain anonymous. Tips can be submitted at 970-945-0101 or online at www.garcocrimestoppers.com.

Joey Bunch, The Denver Post