Oct 16, 2008 12:57 pm US/Pacific
6 Bronze Plaques Stolen From Santa Ana High School
SANTA ANA
Six bronze plaques, including four honoring Santa Ana High School's war dead, have been pried off a campus wall and stolen, possibly to be sold for scrap, according to the school's principal.
The plaques honored students who died in World War I, World War II, the
Korean War and the Vietnam War, the Los Angeles Times reported.
School officials do not have a separate list of the students' names and
are concerned that, unless the plaques are returned, they may be unable to reconstruct the memorials, according to The Times.
The two other plaques commemorated a re-dedication of the school building and the school's centennial anniversary. "These are priceless and historical," Principal Julie Infante said in an interview with The Times Wednesday. "They hold a lot of rich tradition to the community, and the city itself. They are irreplaceable. That's what's so upsetting about this."
The plaques ranged in size from 2 by 3 feet up to 4 by 6 feet, and weighed between 15 and 50 pounds.
A $1,000 reward is being offered by the Santa Ana Unified School District for the recovery of six bronze plaques recent stolen from Santa Ana High School.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call (714) 558-5535, or the anonymous reporting line at (714) 558-5111.
In recent years, copper wiring, piping and other metals with high scrap
value have been stripped from schools, sports fields and other public
facilities by scavengers who then resell it for cash.
Earlier this month, a life-sized bronze statue worth about $35,000 was
stolen from in front of a Covina real estate firm that had another statue
valued at $25,000 stolen in June.
The statue of a teenage boy carrying an American flag was reported
missing Oct. 4 from the McIntyre Co. at 370 E. Rowland St., according to the Covina Police Department.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
