Bronze Grave Markers Stolen from Local Cemetery

Three bronze grave markers were lifted from their cement bases and taken away at Pacific Crest Cemetery in Redondo Beach on Thursday night, sometime after the gates were closed at 5 p.m., presumably to sell the bronze plaques as scrap metal, police said.

These were the grave markers of three military veterans — respectively of the US Air Force, Army and Navy — who were buried in the 1970s and 1980s in an unlit area of the 17-acre property.

"We're appalled anybody would do anything like this," said Dan Burchett, an employee at the cemetery. 

Burchett estimated that each of the markers weighs about 25 pounds with dimensions of 12-inches-by-18-inches-by-1-inch.

He said that broken cement pieces from the base of a marker were found near the railroad tracks behind the property, which would indicate that one of the markers was carried away with the encasing cement, weighing about 75 pounds.

There are no suspects at this time, but a person charged with a theft-related offense could face punishment ranging from probation all the way to state prison, Redondo Beach Police Lieutenant Joe Hoffman said.

Whatever the financial gain that was generated from stealing the grave markers is "not worth the grief for these families," Lt. Hoffman said. "Copper, which is the primary component of bronze, has a value of $1.20 per pound."

Lt. Hoffman noted that over the last five years, the theft of copper in the Redondo Beach area — usually from construction sites — has fluctuated, going up when the price of copper has gone up. However, he said in the last year the price of copper has dropped.

The police have notified all neighborhood recycling centers about the crime.

In a similar theft, a statue was stolen at the pier in August of 2009 that was built in 1977 to commemorate surfer, George Freeth. The scrap value of the metals in that statue was worth $400, yet it will cost the city $10,000 to commission an artist to replace it, said Councilmember Pat Aust, a board member of Redondo Beach Historical Society.

"Bronze is used because it weathers well. It doesn't rust.  And you can use different patinas to coat it," he said.

The grave markers, which Burchett estimates to cost $800-$900, are being replaced by the Veteran's Administration at no cost to the families.

"Someone has stolen them, and they should be replaced, but it's going to cost more than 10 times the value to replace," said Aust. "It's a sacrilege to steal something off a dead person's grave — for an insignificant amount of money."

Anyone with any information regarding these thefts is encouraged to contact the Redondo Beach Police Detective Bureau at (310) 379-2477, ext. 2714.