On Saturday, May 9th, the Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House was broken into by an alleged drug abuser who went on a bit of rampage before he was stopped by officers of the Santa Ana Police Department. Here are some of the images of the wanton destruction.  The glass from several display cases was smashed - spreading glass shards everywhere.  The burglar cut himself and the blood damaged books and some displays. (You can see a little of the blood that landed on the displays and the outside Civic Center wall.)  Various furniture was overturned and damaged. Closets were opened and the contents thrown to the ground.  Display items and books were also damaged.

In many respects, we consider ourselves lucky that our alarm sounded and the police responded so quickly.  We thank Santa Ana's finest for their help!  Also, they caught him before he could damage even more items - or some of our critical archives.

While we do have a simple insurance policy, we sure could use your assistance in helping us pay for the deductible and whatever the insurance company won't pay for.  (We estimate about $600 to $1,000 out-of-pocket.) Please donate whatever you can. We'd appreciate it!

Dr. Willella's beloved book rack

Display cabinets (above & below photos) from our new Santa Ana Room

Damaged book bindings and bloody display items

The thief's attempted exit point (notice the blood on the walls)

Displays tossed to the ground.

The kitchen porch entry point

His first attempt to break in.  He didn't plan on plastic storm windows.