Herndon Police Hand-Deliver Stolen Sandy Hook Signs to Victims' Families

Two Herndon police officers drove more than 200 miles Wednesday to return signs stolen from playgrounds built to honor two Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre victims.

According to a report from WJLA, Herndon police Lt. Jim Moore and Detective Sgt. David Knowles recovered the stolen signs in a Virginia home May 31. Authorities said the vinyl memorial signs were recovered at a home in the 400 block of Fillmore Street in Herndon, where the suspect was renting a room.

The alleged thief, 28-year-old Andrew David Truelove, was charged in Herndon, Virginia with possession of stolen property and awaits additional pending charges in Connecticut and New Jersey, according to the Herndon Police Dept. Truelove is being held at the Fairfax County Adult Dentention Center.

One sign was stolen from a playground in Mantoloking, New Jersey built to honor Chase Kowalski. The other was stolen from Grace McDonnell's playground in Mystic, Connecticut.

Following the theft in Mystic, a man called the deceased child's mother, claiming that he stole the sign to prove that the shooting at Sandy Hook School was a hoax and that her daughter "never existed."

The playgrounds are among 26 being built throughout the tri-state area through The Sandy Ground Project: Where Angels Play. The shooting at Sandy Hook School, on Dec. 14, 2012, claimed the life of 20 first graders and six educators — and each playground is being named in honor of a victim.

The playground signs have already been replaced, according to the Associated Press, and the originals will be given to the Kowalski and McDonnell families.