The Rev. Loretta Ewell-Johnson thought the worst had passed last month, after thieves stole 12 stained-glass windows from St. Paul United Methodist Church in Southeast Baltimore.
She boarded up the church's windows - including those still containing stained glass - to prevent another burglary. But on Aug. 9, she entered the church for the first time in a week and discovered that four more windows were missing, stolen despite her precaution.
"This is terrible," said Ewell-Johnson, looking sadly at where the glass had hung. "Oh, my goodness, what is wrong with people?"
For years, thieves have been breaking into Baltimore houses and churches to steal stained glass, then selling it for quick cash, often to feed drug habits. But burglars haven't been stealing just property - they have been snatching a colorful part of Baltimore's rowhouse heritage.
"Stained glass is precious," said Stephany Palasik, president of the Canton-Highlandtown Community Association. "It's a piece of history. Someone can remake it, but it's not the original. We're losing too much of the really good things."
Thieves work quickly, breaking into a house and popping out the glass using hammers and crowbars. In Southeast Baltimore, where many builders installed stained glass in the early 20th century, thefts are reported at a steady rate, police detectives say.
"I'd say five in 10 burglaries I get involves stained glass," said Detective Derrick Layton, who investigates burglaries in Southeast Baltimore. "It's pretty constant. And those are the ones we hear about."
But some thieves who seem to specialize in stained glass thefts also hit in waves, police said. This spring, Layton and other detectives arrested a pair of burglars who acknowledged stealing glass from more than 30 houses. Late last year, police linked more than 25 thefts of stained glass in Northeast Baltimore to a group of thieves.
Some burglars concoct elaborate schemes to swipe stained glass. In April, detectives in Northeast Baltimore arrested a man wearing a hard hat and carrying a clipboard. He duped inquisitive neighbors into believing he was a housing inspector while he raided a house next door.
The man sold the glass at a Fells Point antiques shop about 30 minutes after he left the neighborhood. He was sentenced to probation. Detectives think he had been stealing glass for at least a year.
Thieves often target vacant houses.
