Denver police arrest suspect accused of stealing statues outside church

Police in Denver arrested a suspect wanted in connection with stealing statues outside a downtown Denver church earlier this month. A parish leader says the theft happened at Holy Ghost Catholic Church on California Street, the first week in March. 

Investigators said David Miller, 29, was arrested and charged with theft and criminal mischief- $5,000-$19,000.

Security video from the church shows a man, believed to be Miller, using tools, including a hammer and what appears to be a crowbar, to remove two statues outside the church. The missing statues depict Saint Rita and Saint Paul. The church said the statues had been there for more than a century. 

Church leaders told CBS Colorado that the statues have been part of the parish since 1924 and were placed near the front doors when the upper portion of the building was completed in 1943. The church said the statues' monetary value may be relatively small, but their historical and sentimental significance is much greater.  

According to investigators, the statues were recovered by officers on March 11, but they were damaged. Church officials said replacing the statues could cost thousands of dollars.