Rhode Island parish’s bells recovered
Six brass and bronze bells stolen from the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Church here were recovered Thursday, April 22, 2010 after two scrap metal yards tipped off local police.
The largest bell, weighing between 1200 and 1500 pounds, had been cut into several pieces, while the other bells’ inscriptions had been defaced in an obvious effort to conceal their origins.
At least one arrest has been made in the theft, with another pending.
The bells, which had been installed at different times during the parish’s 102 year existence, were stolen on April 16. One bell originally hung on the Queen Mary, while others came from schools, factories, other churches, and public markets.