Lampposts Recovered, Suspect Held

In a city that prides itself as a haven for historic preservation, the theft last month of antique lampposts outside two Fullerton landmarks was a painful jolt.

But the two posts--ripped from their moorings outside a historic school auditorium and the old downtown post office--have been found at a Pasadena antique mall, police announced Friday. Also recovered were vintage lamps and fixtures stolen from Pasadena-area churches, worth about $50,000.

“We’re certainly glad to have these lamps back,” said Chris Norby, a Fullerton City Council member. “People in Fullerton like old things. We like to preserve them and keep them up.”

Pasadena police arrested a 41-year-old Pico Rivera man, Melvin Donald Edwards, on suspicion of stealing the fixtures and selling them to antique dealers. Edwards was charged with grand theft and narcotics possession, Pasadena Police Lt. Keith Jones said.

“Stealing from places of worship is about as low as a thief can go,” Jones said.

Pasadena police recovered about 50 stolen items, including the ornate light fixtures and two wrought-iron gates. Because some pieces have not yet been identified, police suggest that anyone who has lost such items to theft call them at (626) 744-4564.

Police are seeking as many as three other suspects who may have helped in the thefts, reported over the last eight months, Jones said. Police in Fullerton said they don’t consider the antique dealer who had most of the items a suspect in the theft of the lampposts, which are 6 and 8 feet tall.

“One of them is a solid brass lantern that the antique dealer paid $1,000 for it when the thief brought it in,” Norby said. “He probably expected to sell it for five times that.”

One of the Fullerton fixtures was stolen from Plummer Auditorium on the campus of Fullerton High School--site of historic renovation as recently as last fall, when a Depression-era fresco on an exterior wall was restored.

The theft occurred on Sept. 28 or 29, said Lt. Dan Becerra of the Fullerton police. Bolts holding the fixture to the concrete had been cut.

A few days later, one of two lamps outside the post office on East Commonwealth Avenue was stolen, Becerra said.

Each of the lamps was part of a pair and authorities removed the survivingcounterpart for safekeeping. No plans have been made for restoring the lamps.

“The monetary gain was dwarfed by the loss of a bit of Fullerton’s history,” Becerra said.

Across California, ornate and valuable outdoor antiques have been favorite targets of thieves for many years. Rather than fence them at a pawnshop or sell them for scrap and pennies per pound, the thieves unload them on frequently unsuspecting antique dealers who then sell the objects to collectors or decorators.

“The scrap isn’t worth as much as the object itself,” Norby said.

In 1995, 1,000 antique lampposts, worth $250,000, were taken in a late-night raid on a Los Angeles Bureau of Street Lighting storage lot. And the lights outside Pasadena’s historic Gamble House were stolen about 20 years ago.

“There’s a renewed interest in these fixtures,” said Skip Willett, co-owner of Architectural Detail in Pasadena.

Bonnie Ackerman, owner of A&P; Collectibles in Orange’s well-known antique district, said stolen goods are a pitfall in an otherwise respectable industry.

“It’s a thin line we walk, and we have to try to be honest,” said Ackerman, a former police officer. “It can be really hard. You check their ID. You do as much as you can to avoid buying something stolen.

“When you’ve been in business for a while, you know in your heart if something is right or not. And if we’re not sure, we pass on it.”

Dealers know that if they buy stolen property and it is then claimed by police, they have to swallow the financial loss.

Police said antique dealers are not a frequent problem for law enforcement.

“When you’re dealing with people you don’t know selling you stuff, it’s a risk,” said Jones of the Pasadena police.

Norby said extra precautions will be taken in Fullerton with the return of the stolen fixtures to their public spots.

“I imagine they’ll be welding the bolts on this time,” he said.

Times correspondent Richard Winton and staff writer Peter Y. Hong contributed to this story.