Santa Ana plaque thieves now in jail

The thieves who stole over a dozen historical plaques right from under the SAPD’s collective noses, in the Civic Center/Downtown area, have been caught, according to the O.C. Register.

Here are a few key excerpts:

Payton Richard Wallace, 18, and Cory Christopher Allyn, 20, both homeless, were arrested Wednesday in the Civic Center area. The pair is being held on felony grand theft and possession of stolen property at the Orange County Jail. Wallace is being held on $20,000 bail and Allyn is ineligible for bail.

The 8-by-10 brass plaques displaying the name of the building and a seal or symbol, were recovered Oct. 18 at recycling centers after being sold for salvage money, said Cpl. Jose Gonzalez of the Santa Ana Police Department.

Police first learned of the thefts when a church in the 300 block of North Main Street called to report that a historical plaque had been stolen. Civic Center patrol officers then found 14 plaques at the Global Metal Recycling Inc., at 1011 E. Pine St. near First Street. Four others were later recovered at Bruce Metal & Salvage, Inc. at 920 E 6th St., Gonzalez said.

Isn’t that interesting? The miscreants were not Latinos. And they were homeless. Now how did they lug all that metal around? I wonder if they used a shopping cart?

The SAPD can’t keep plaques from being pried off buildings a mile or so from their headquarters. How are they going to keep the Pulido streetcars and their passengers safe?