Hall of Heroes burglarized, damaged
Mar. 20—ELKHART — The Hall of Heroes Museum was broken into early Sunday morning and early Marvel comic books were stolen.
Director Allen Stewart posted on a GoFundMe page, where he is trying to raise $60,000, "We have suffered damage to our door and display cases that we just added as part of our remodel. The worst part is the history that was stolen."
Around 50 comics books — all early key Marvel comics — were stolen, including Captain America No. 1 and Young Allies No. 1, Hulk No. 1 and No. 2, X-Men No. 1 and No. 2, Tales of Suspense No. 39, a 1st Iron Man and more.
"We are heartbroken and sick that someone would break into our non-profit museum and steal this valuable history that we have dedicated to preserve and share," Stewart wrote. "Unfortunately we did not have insurance on these rare items and cannot afford to replace them. We are asking for help to allow us to repair the damages and try to replace some of the stolen items from our collection."
Elkhart police reported in a news release that at 2:22 a.m. an officer was called to Hall of Heroes for a back door alarm.
An officer observed the door on the south end of the building had a smashed window and the back doors seemed to have been forced open (occurring at approximately 2:03 a.m. that morning).
Elkhart County Sheriff's officers arrived on scene with their K9 to help assist in clearing the building. After clearing the building, officers discovered several destroyed superhero memorabilia display cases with contents missing, including several comic books.
At this time, no arrests have been made and this case remains under investigation, the release stated.
The officers who first responded learned that comic books worth several thousands of dollars were stolen during the burglary. This is in addition to the damage to the door and to the display cases. No exact dollar amount for what was taken has been estimated as of yet, police reported.
This case was assigned to a detective who is investigating, including reviewing any and all available security footage. Police will release further information as they are able.
Anyone with information regarding this investigation or information regarding the missing memorabilia can call the Elkhart Police Department at 574-295-7070. Anonymous tips can also be made through the police department's website or by emailing tips@elkhartpolice.org.
Hall of Heroes, 1915 Cassopolis St., just finished hosting its annual Comic Con March 4-5 at the RV Hall of Fame.
Here is the link to the GoFundMe page: https://gofund.me/a66ef357
