Thieves Hit Katrina Memorial Site

Thieves hauled off $100,000 worth of heavy equipment that was being used to help build a Lower Ninth Ward memorial to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

A Bobcat excavator and a Bobcat T300 Skid Steer Loader, both of which require trailers or flatbed trucks to transport, were removed from the site sometime between midnight and 6:30 a.m. Saturday, construction company officials said.

In the neighborhood that remains nearly pitch black at night almost a year after the levees failed, the equipment didn't last three days at the site.

``This takes a lot of guts,'' said Bill Petty, senior vice president of Walton Construction Co. and a 26-year veteran of the construction business. ``I've never seen it happen like this in my entire career.''

National Guard soldiers have been keeping an eye on the construction site at the request of Walton and city officials.
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