Beloved Claremont church statue destroyed by vandals

On Wednesday, October 1 a beloved statue that has graced the memorial garden at Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church has been destroyed at the hands of vandals. Sometime between September 28 and September 30, the unknown suspects entered the garden at 830 West Bonita Avenue and threw a large rock at the four-foot St. Francis statue created by artist John Edward Svenson. The terracotta patron saint of animals and the ecology broke into several large pieces before the suspects fled in an unknown direction. Although the value of the statue has not yet been determined, it is believed to possibly be worth thousands of dollars.

Be sure to check out a busy week for the Claremont Police Department in our police blotter Friday.