ALTON, Ill. (First Alert 4) – A statue stolen from an Alton church was scrapped shortly after being taken.
The decades-old statue of St. Francis was stolen in mid-September from the Episcopal Parish of Alton. The church said the hammered copper statue was made by the artist Hillis Arnold.
On Thursday, the church posted on social media that police informed them the statue had been scrapped in St. Louis less than 48 hours after it was stolen.
“Of course, I am upset, frustrated, and angry. But our calling of mercy and forgiveness as Christians is still the same. I meant what I said before. I love these people still. And I forgive them. But they still have to face the consequences of their own actions. What that looks like is in the hands of the Justice System and the good detectives of our beloved APD,” read a portion of the social media post by Fr. Garron Daniels…