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Police Recover Statue Stolen From Campbell Church

CAMPBELL (KCBS) - Police have recovered a valuable statue stolen from a Campbell church last week.

A statue of Saint Bernadette was stolen sometime between Thursday night and Friday Morning from the Saint Mary Assyrian Chaldean Catholic Church. According to church members, a thief unbolted the statue and carried it off. The statue has stood outside the church for 15 years. The church sits just 100 yards from a police station.

"At this point we don't know what the motive was. Obviously there are different ideas whether somebody was playing a prank or making a bad decision that evening," Berg said.

Investigators said that they received a tip shortly before noon that pinpointed the statue's location.

Officers arrived at a parking lot on the 200 block of E. Hamilton Avenue and were able to recover the statue.

Police have since returned the statue to St. Mary's Church and officials there are said to be very grateful.

"The church is not only a house of God but it belongs to the community. So stealing from the community, and God also, is unthinkable," said Deacon Anthony Garia of Saint Mary's church.

Deacon Garia had a message for the thieves. "I hope this incident is maybe some kind of catalyst to have him draw closer to God," he said.

The porcelain statue is valued at $10,000.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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