Crime & Safety
D.A. Will Drop L.B. Church Relics Case
Investigation revealed the arrested suspect suffers mental illness and has a conservator.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office has decided not to file charges against Maria Solis, 41, of Long Beach,
arrested last month for the June 13th theft of a religious relic from a Long Beach
Catholic church.
A charge evaluation worksheet put together by the District Attorney’s office reveals that
the suspect has no previous criminal record, and lives in a home for the mentally
ill under conservatorship. The worksheet stipulates, “It is unlikely we could prove her
intent to permanently deprive, or that she entered the church with the intent to steal.”
The archdiocese and priest of the church from which the relic was taken have decided not
to press charges against the woman, according to Sandi Gibbons of the DA’s office.
Police have said that the almost 800-year-old relic of interest was taken from within the
cabinet of St. Anthony Catholic Church. It was recovered on June 16, when investigators
extracted the details of its displacement from the surveillance video of a nearby business.
After searching the area, police found the relic less than a mile away in Solis’ room.
Long Beach police booked and released Solis on the same day, and the relic was returned
to its parish home, although Reverend Jose Magana says it will be displayed in a different
manner in the future.
