Man receives jail time, fine for stealing Greisbach memorial plaques

A man charged with stealing several memorial plaques from Edmonton’s Griesbach community will be heading to jail.

Romelo Joseph Woolf was sentenced Tuesday to 11 months in jail for the charges in relation to the plaque theft. He was also ordered to pay more than $22,000 in fines.

It was back in July 2017 that more than a dozen plaques honouring Canadian soldiers were forcibly removed and stolen from the northeast Edmonton community.

READ MORE: Metal plaques commemorating war veterans stolen from Edmonton’s Griesbach community

The large metal plaques sat at the end of the streets in Griesbach, a former military base. Each plaque told the story of a decorated Canadian soldier or battle, some of which date back to the First World War.

Woolf was found guilty of possession of property over $5,000 and fraud under $5,000.

In court on Tuesday, Woolf was also handed a 30-day sentence for a separate bike theft.

With credit for time spent in custody, Woolf will spend another nine months behind bars.

READ MORE: Man charged after memorial plaques stolen from Edmonton’s Griesbach community

“This disrespectful and senseless crime shocked our community last summer,” Griesbach Community League president Brad Tilley said.

“We are pleased that this incident is drawing to a close and that the man responsible appears to be ready to take responsibility for his actions.”

Some of the plaques were eventually recovered, but they were damaged beyond repair. All of the plaques have since been replaced.

Watch below: Previous Global News coverage of the memorial plaques that were stolen from Griesbach

Memorial plaques stolen from Griesbach recovered, but damaged beyond repair

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Memorial plaques stolen from Griesbach recovered, but damaged beyond repair

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Memorial plaques stolen from Griesbach found but ‘unsalvageable’

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Plaques commemorating war veterans stolen from Griesbach