MONROE — The thieves busted up the antique bell and sold the pieces.
Monroe police have recovered about half of a hefty brass bell that was stolen a few weeks ago from St. Mary of the Valley Catholic Church.
The bell was apparently shattered on purpose, Monroe police spokeswoman Debbie Willis said.
“We have not counted the pieces,” she said. “It could be up to 100.”
The thieves also scraped off the bell’s inscription. It was in Latin, and honored St. Anthony and the year 1913, when church officials believe the bell was cast.
Investigators on Thursday night were still unraveling what happened to the bell. Only about 300 pounds have been recovered. That’s believed to represent about half the original weight. It wasn’t immediately known where the rest of the bell went.
Monroe detectives arrested a Snohomish woman, 34, in connection with the case Wednesday, according to a police affidavit.
They believe the woman created a business where she took in scrap metal, sold it to recyclers and skimmed off the profits. They don’t think she was operating alone.
Shortly after the theft, curved chunks of brass turned up at a recycling center in Woodinville.
King County sheriff’s detectives received information that someone had brought in pieces of a bell, and the circumstances made the cops suspicious, sheriff’s Sgt. Cindi West said. They put out a bulletin to law enforcement around the region. The Monroe case popped up as a possible match.
Monroe detectives obtained some of the brass and showed the pieces to church leaders. They’re convinced it’s their bell, the Rev. Phillip Bloom said Thursday.
The bell’s theft affected people in Monroe beyond the church, he said. In the past few weeks, he’s been approached by neighbors and even strangers in town.
They’ve shared messages of support. Many said they loved to hear the bell toll for services.
“I’m amazed at how much that bell means to people,” he said.
People feel angry and sad, he said. Many are praying for the thieves, hoping they can find change in their hearts.
People also have shared their own stories of being targeted by criminals, he said. They’ve had their car windows smashed and their homes vandalized.
“For an ordinary person, this kind of crime can be just devastating,” he said.
Meanwhile, church leaders are talking to a local business about help in replacing the bell. A similar model made new could run up to $6,000. They planned to meet Thursday night to discuss security issues and how to move forward.
As the police work the case, and share updates with Bloom, he can’t help but weigh the amount of hurt caused by the theft against whatever money the thieves may have made from selling its pieces, he said.
“What you get out of it is so pitiful in comparison,” he said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.
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