Thief works
church weddings

He has swiped 16 historic pieces
while ceremonies were held
at Kawaiahao Church

By Jim Witty
Star-Bulletin

The bridal burglar has struck again.

And the congregation of Kawaiahao Church in Honolulu wants the nine koa deacon's chairs he brazenly removed from the historic sanctuary back.

"We know the guy who took them," said David Free, chairman of the Kawaiahao board of trustees.

"We've seen him. He takes the chairs during weddings when they can't stop the ceremony to chase him."

Over the past few months, the betrothal bandit has snatched nine ornate koa chairs, three oak chairs and four koa flower stands from the premises, Free said. Many of them from right under the noses of unsuspecting worshipers.

The chairs, dedicated to the Kawaiahao deacons when the church was renovated in 1927, are valued at around $1,500 apiece, Free said.

"They're part of the history of the church," he noted.

While church officials have seen the thief, no one has been able to nab him. But they came close.

With nine gone and just nine left, Free and his fellow trustees decided recently to chain the remaining koa chairs together to thwart further theft attempts.

Soon after, when the church organist spied the same man fumbling with the chairs during a wedding ceremony, an official was alerted and caught him downstairs swiping a koa flower stand.

A chase ensued. The thief got away, but he dropped the stand.

In an effort to get the irreplaceable chairs back, church trustees placed ads in the Honolulu daily newspapers asking for the public's help.

Under a bold reminder proclaiming "Thou shall not steal," the ad asks anyone with information to call the church at 522-1333. "Sad but true," the ad says. "...It would be a real blessing to get them back!"