Edmonton police said Wednesday that officers had recovered plaques stolen from pedestals in the Griesbach neighbourhood.
On Tuesday, it was reported to police that 17 plaques had been stolen from pedestals around Griesbach – believed to have been stolen at some point between Sunday, July 23 and Tuesday.
On Wednesday, police were contacted by a local scrap metal dealer, after the plaques were recognized through media coverage. Police would not confirm when the plaques were brought in.
“The plaques were converted to be used for scrap metal, to gain some sort of monetary value by the persons who brought them in,” Det. Eric Wilde told CTV News Wednesday.
Police said the majority of the plaques were recovered, but they are considered unsalvageable due to extensive damage – it’s believed the damage was done in an effort to disguise their origin.
“We’re heartbroken,” Bryan Evans with the Griesbach Community League said. “They’re basically destroyed, unrecognizable, unusable.”
Each plaque costs up to $2,500 to make, but they’re made of a metal alloy and aren’t worth much when melted down.
Now, police are seeking suspects in the theft, and are asking anyone who witnessed suspicious activity in the community to contact police.
“It’s certainly not going to be over today just because we’ve recovered the plaques,” Det. Wilde said. “We’re certainly going to do anything we can to hold the people accountable for what they’ve done in this community.”
Anyone with information that could help investigators is asked to call the Edmonton Police Service non-emergency line at 780-423-4567 or #377 on a mobile phone. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
With files from Angela Jung
