Fountain Valley : Thief Gets Away With Another 500 Exotic Fish

Thieves have stolen about 800 exotic fish from the backyard of a retired schoolteacher during three separate incidents, police said Wednesday.

Sgt. Larry Griswold said the latest theft occurred Tuesday afternoon, when 500 of the fish were reported missing by Edith Sanchez, 77, who lives in the 1700 block of Walnut Street.

Griswold said the first incident occurred May 2 when she reported about 50 of her Japanese koi fish stolen. He said a neighbor reported seeing two men in a pickup truck in the driveway of the home.

The second theft was reported Monday, when about 250 of the fish were taken, Griswold said, adding that no witness reports were taken after the last two thefts.

Griswold said Sanchez told police each fish was valued at $6 to $10. Sanchez also told police that the three thefts had wiped out her exotic fish collection.