Two Hamilton men have been arrested after allegedly stealing a plaque from the Dieppe Veterans’ Memorial on the shore of Lake Ontario.
Shortly after 10 a.m. Monday, Hamilton police say they pulled over a 2012 Hyundai during a routine traffic stop in the area of Woodward and Glow avenues.
The male driver of the vehicle reportedly couldn’t produce any identification, and police say officers determined he was wanted by police for failing to appear in court so he was arrested.
While searching the vehicle, in which there was also a male passenger, officers looked in the back seat and reportedly found a large bronze plaque as well as a backpack containing break-and-enter tools, police say.
Police describe the plaque as two feet by four feet and weighing between 150 and 200 pounds with a depiction of the Dieppe Veterans’ Memorial Park. The plaque also reportedly describes the battle as the “single bloodiest day” for the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War.
Its value is estimated at $30,000.
When officers went to Dieppe Veterans’ Memorial Park on Beach Boulevard — approximately three kilometres away from where they had pulled the vehicle over — they found the memorial’s plaque was missing.
It has since been returned to the City of Hamilton so that it can be reinstalled on the monument.
Randy Malette, 46, of Hamilton, and Robert Norton, 44, of Hamilton, are both facing multiple charges, including theft and possession over $5,000.