York businessman says Salvaging Creativity returned items to him

(York) — A local businessman says that Salvaging Creativity has returned items that he alleges belong to him.

“Three tractor-trailer loads returned today … Sitting in parking lot at my building,” Matthew Bupp said in a text on Wednesday.

This comes months after Bupp and Patrick Sells, owner of Salvaging Creativity, clashed over York street art.

Bupp had alleged that large metal gears in front of the York County Judicial Center in York — on which the Tin Man sits — were taken from him by Salvaging Creativity, a business he helped to support.

Sells had denied any wrongdoing, saying Bupp’s claims were “unfounded and personally motivated.” Sells said that he and Bupp entered into a verbal agreement in 2008 where he received salvage material in return for moving and storing other items.

York City Police obtained a search warrant earlier this year for Salvaging Creativity. The search warrant stated that Sells took 62 large metal gear wheels, 120 to 130 kiln-dried Douglas fir boards, two pallets of refractory fire bricks, two steel railroad dock plates, a crane scale and other items from Bupp.

Police did not seize any items from Salvaging Creativity. No charges were filed.

Chris Ferro, Sells’ attorney, said that he met with the district attorney’s office recently to resolve the matter. He said he’s confident the police and the district attorney want “nothing to do with this nonsense.”

“We never did anything wrong in the first place,” Ferro said.

Bupp said in a phone interview Wednesday that he’s happy to have the items back.

“Hopefully we can put that chapter behind us and move forward,” Bupp said.

He declined to comment further.

Reporter Ted Czech contributed to this report.

Related Links

Businessman, artist clash over York street art

Local artist Patrick Sells creates work from discarded materials

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This article comes to us through a partnership between York Daily Record and WITF.