relicbak A nearly 800-year-old religious relic stolen earlier this week from St. Anthony’s Church in downtown Long Beach has been recovered by Long Beach Police Department (LBPD) detectives in the home of a woman who lives about a mile from the church.

LBPD Deputy Police Chief Robert Luna announced the recovery at an 8:30 p.m. Thursday news conference on the steps of the 110-year-old church. He also announced that 41-year-old Long Beach resident Maria Solis had been arrested for the theft.

Luna described how detectives used descriptions provided by churchgoers, and surveillance video from local businesses, to find the person of interest (the arrestee) and recover and return the extraordinary object of the theft.

CONTINUE READING AND SEE VIDEO OF THE NEWS CONFERENCE AT LBREPORT.COM