Copper wire stolen from Christian theme park: ; Couple worked all summer installing lanterns along trail

Copper thieves stole decorations and equipment from a Christian-themed amusement park in Logan County.

Priscella Smith and her husband worked all summer to installelectric lanterns along the "Passion Trail" - a walkway at theirpark where scenes from the life of Christ are performed forvisitors.

They made the lantern poles, dug and laid the electric lines andwere preparing for the first evening performance lit by the newlamps along the half-mile trail on Paradise Island.

But when they prepared to turn on the lights at about 5 p.m.Friday, they discovered copper thieves had ripped up the lines andruined their plans.

"We were beyond shocked," Smith said. "We never dreamed thiswould happen. They would have had to come in through the woods to dothis. ... They had to climb over a gas well gate."

The Smiths started Paradise Island in 1995. They bought a small,trash-littered island in the Guyandotte River in Logan County withthe idea of turning it into a Christian refuge. They built acampsite and other tourist attractions on the property.

Thieves stole the wiring sometime between 10:30 p.m. Thursday and5 p.m. Friday, said State Police Trooper M.L. Vance of the Logandetachment. There were no suspects in the theft as of Monday, hesaid.

The thieves got away with wiring worth about $2,000, Smith said.A $500 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrestand conviction of the thieves, she said.

"It ripped our hearts out," she said. "We have to do all thewiring over."

The lighting was so important to Smith that she let her seasonalhelp go early this summer to cut down on expenses and help pay forthe wiring.

"This was the most important thing," she said. "I robbed Peter topay Paul. That's what I was doing."

Smith says she has no idea who would have stolen the wiring."Someone wanting dope," she surmised. "It could have been anybody.We are located along the highway."

Smith said there were people at the Paradise Island gift shoplate Thursday and early Friday, but that the trail is located abouta half-mile away. Smith said she has been guarding the trail andcamped by it one night to prevent thieves from stealing any morecopper.

She and her husband plan to reinstall the wiring and to put upsome sort of security system, she said.

"There are over 90 lights that are still there. But we have to dothe wiring all over again," she said.

"The men dug over 4,500 feet of trenches for the cable. It's atragedy."

Copper wire stolen from Christian theme park: ; Couple worked all summer installing lanterns along trail

Copper thieves stole decorations and equipment from a Christian-themed amusement park in Logan County.

Priscella Smith and her husband worked all summer to installelectric lanterns along the "Passion Trail" - a walkway at theirpark where scenes from the life of Christ are performed forvisitors.

They made the lantern poles, dug and laid the electric lines andwere preparing for the first evening performance lit by the newlamps along the half-mile trail on Paradise Island.

But when they prepared to turn on the lights at about 5 p.m.Friday, they discovered copper thieves had ripped up the lines andruined their plans.

"We were beyond shocked," Smith said. …