[Located] Handcrafted Memorial Cross Stolen From Remote Mountain Road; Family Heartbroken as Victim’s Birthday Approaches
This week, a brother is heartbroken as the handmade cross and candleholder he created for his brother’s memorial after his brother died in a fatal accident last December was stolen. Christina Arredondo said her husband, Jose Arredondo, crafted the unique items and, with the help of friends, placed them last December at the site of his 28-year-old brother Martin’s deadly crash on Chemise Mountain Road.
Christina Arredondo said that the cross was still there at 8:30 Sunday evening, according to a neighbor. But by the time her husband drove out Monday at 8 a.m., the Memorial was gone.
“Only a LED candle that someone has stepped on was left,” she explained.
If anyone has any information, please call (707) 223-2050.
“Martin’s birthday is October 3. [I]t would be amazing if we could get it back before then!” Christina said.
UPDATE: The memorial has been recovered.
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Who would even do this? What slime!
Probably the FFRF, they don’t allow crosses anywhere on public land. Or some other atheist group that does not believe these crosses to be put up, no matter whose family lost a loved one. That’s why April 1st is the holiday of non believers. There is one up at the bottom of the Alderpoint road, no one has messed with that. No cross or other religious symbol should be removed by anyone but the family members. I think these symbols remind us of a loss, and for me and others who say a prayer when we see one, our prayers help those who passed there. Hope they get the cross back, it looked beautiful.
I’d rip it down because it has LEDs on it. But sure it was probably some atheist nutjob! We’re coming to take your god! Terk yer gerd!
Yeah, blame atheists. What a dumb ass comment that is.
I am going to assume sarcasm there flatgirl, might want to read it again.
Without any information, you can say it was “probably” some group?
Wow.
You’re a detective! You’d be invaluable on the force!
Folk art collectors. Take the compliment and build another distracting roadside memorial. You’ve got time.
Was it nailed to a live tree -??
Wouldn’t make a difference if it was.
sounds like stormy takes things that don’t belong 2 him!
Nails don’t hurt trees.
They hurt like hell. We just can’t scream.
Caltrans or whichever agency responsible for the road possibly removed the memorial. They’ve been known to do so many times. I think they should leave them there as a reminder to other drivers to be careful.
The county can’t even afford to maintain the damn road. Send someone to remove a cross? I doubt that very much!
The perp must be a real lowlife!
Go to the closest Cal trans yard and ask for its return. They took our family cross down and took it to the Bridgeville. They will only keep it for a month.
The photo is a letter from Rick Knapp he wrote the rule in the 90s just before he retired.
Chemise Mountain Road is maintained by Humboldt County Public Works. It would not have been taken by Caltrans. It also seems unlikely that a county worker would have taken it after 8 p.m. and before 8 a.m.
You got it right
No flat girl meant it. She makes sense. Jesuslovers have rights too but not to hang whatever ya want on public lands. What if it were a statue from another religious group…let’s say a museum statue by yalls home…would it have been there this long? Prolly not because the jesuslovers are scared and fearful of others beliefs usually.
If it had lights on it well it’s kinda obvious why it got removed…
Nailed to a tree in our lands
Distracting to drivers
Trespassing to hang it
Offensive to most “atheists”
You win The Internets!
People are senseless. Somebody dismantled my cousins memorial cross (he actually made for a family pet and I repurposed for him) up on fickle hill a few years ago.
>” I think they should leave them there as a reminder to other drivers to be careful.”
Dunno… you can’t go more that 100 yards on a Mexican highway without passing a shrine.
And what’s wrong with that?
Apparently (shrines) may not remind people to be careful.
Personally I’d rather see the beautiful landscape rather than a bunch of memorials. They can be distracting to drivers as well. It’s best to leave the memorials in cemeteries. And, for the record, my father was killed on 101 and none of us felt the need to mark the spot. We remember him just fine without it.
If you are distracted by a Memorial on the side of the road, you should not be allowed to drive. Cal Trans usually takes them down, don’t know why but they do.
I didn’t say I was distracted. I said it can be distracting to drivers. It’s bad enough out there without adding more distractions.
I 100% agree with you. If we put a cross every were a human died we would have no where to walk. It is littering and making people think of and attract deadly accidents themselves by law of attraction. It doesn’t bring a loved one back. I don’t even understand wanting to mark where someone died, it’s not where their body or soul is so why dwell on the last second if their life. Put up a memorial in their home where they spent many happy moments, not littering the mountain side and dwelling on the sad moment. I’ve never felt the need to mark where any love one died ever, and I’ve lost more than my fair share. Celebrate his life, not his death and grieve without involving trash on the side of the road and nails in a fucking tree.
100% agree!
Idk? The tweekers take anything thats shiney….Too many lights, Too much shine…Already on a bike in Eureka
I would start building another one for the person who stole it! Karma is a real bitch if not found. Good luck on getting it back, it was a beautiful peice of work.
Fool’s name and fool’s faces always end up in public places.
Very sad to hear of this disrespect. It was a very tasteful memorial kept up with beautiful flowers. It also noted a very dangerous place in the road. I hope it is found and returned.
Sorry to hear of this kind of disrespect. It was a tasteful memorial, kept up with beautiful flowers. It also noted a dangerous part in the road. I hope it is promptly recovered and returned.
I always point out the memorials to my kids and hoped it would get them to drive more responsibly when they got their licenses. Just like the memorial at Usal for the girl who fell out of the back of a truck.
Speaking only for myself, I grieve the loss of many young men in our community who have died along the roads. At the same time, I have to continue with my life. When I see memorials along my road, I am jolted back into the grief i feel at the loss of the young lives. Those who put the memorials on my road don’t have to pass them twice each day; they go out when they want to remember the one who has passed on. I would prefer if people need a memorial to a lost loved one, that they put it at their own house or at a cemetery.
Yes, the road is dangerous. No, the memorials don’t prevent other young people from drinking and driving too fast.
100%!!!! There’s even the memorial on Dutyville from when Billy killed himself. Billy had said numerous times throughout his life that he HATES those memorials yet people who weren’t that close with him made one and wouldn’t listen to those closest to him. Who knows how many memorials are up for people that didn’t want that.
crusafixes are not something that ever bring me happiness or joy or any positivity. It’s been a scare and guilt trip tactic of the Christians/Romans to concur and control the sheeple. Fearful people will do what you want more often. Think about it
We all have the right to do what we want as Americans except infringe on the rights of others and to respect Property rights. Whoever has the rights to the land is by law and common American knowledge the one who can decide what’s on their trees.
I am absolutely stunned at the regular commenters who are constantly mean and disparaging. Who do you people think you are? No one cares about your judgemental posts except your regular jousting buddies. Get lives people. We do not care what you think. Oh, sorry, you “care.” Not. It’s pathetic that you care so little about your fellow humans and their plight. STFU.
Strange. If you don’t care what they think, why are you reading their comments? Every person has a right to voice their opinion. I prefer the memorials be removed. I find them offensive and in essence, really, it’s littering. If you don’t own the property, you shouldn’t be leaving anything on it.
WHAT the…someone took Martin’s cross? Now that just pisses me off!
Oh I can’t wait to hear about where/who…!
These comments hurt. So many people are making excuses for why this hand crafted memorial, off a rural road has reason to be stolen. Worried about a small LED, to nailed to a live tree, to it being a cross. This family is hurting and happens to be contributing locals. This memorial made the majority feel safe and close this lost life. Bottom line desecration to this memorial was malicious and was WRONG. To the narcissists that can reason why this is ok, shame on you.