MONROE, Wash. (AP) — An antique brass bell stolen from a Monroe church was apparently broken into pieces to be sold as scrap.
Investigators have recovered about 100 pieces weighing about 300 pounds — about half the original weight of the century-old bell taken several weeks ago from St. Mary of the Valley Catholic Church. The chunks of curved brass were found at a recycling center in Woodinville.
The Daily Herald reports (http://bit.ly/vOpxyl ) Monroe detectives arrested a Snohomish woman on Wednesday in connection with the case.
Meanwhile church leaders are trying to raise about $6,000 to replace the bell. The pastor, Phillip Bloom, says the theft has affected people beyond the church who have said how much they loved hearing the bell toll for services.
