For the faithful entering Christ Our Savior Catholic Parish in Santa Ana, the statue of Saint John the Baptist placing holy water on the head of Jesus represented a core tenant of Christianity.
But, police say, thieves who arrived at the church under the cover of darkness last month likely saw the artwork as representing something more worldly: quick cash.
Police say two men cut through a chain link fence at the church property around 2 a.m. on Aug. 30 and took an electric saw to the statue. In surveillance video, the men are seen slicing the depiction of Jesus at the ankles and carting it away. Only the feet and the stone base of the $50,000 installation were left behind…