The race to find a thief: Berlin police investigating after Torch Run signs were stolen

BERLIN, Conn. (WTNH) — Anticipation and excitement surround the Law Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics each year in Berlin.

Year after year, students line the route in front of their school to cheer on the officers.

This year, there was also disappointment. The signs, which usually line Veterans Way, were stolen sometime between Monday when they were placed there, and Wednesday, when Mark DePinto, the officer who organizes Berlin’s leg of the run, realized they were gone.

“He works very hard for this to come out perfect and that was like a setback to him,” Carmen DePinto, Mark's wife, said.

It was too late to replace the signs before Thursday’s torch run.

The signs show the businesses and organizations which support the torch run and the Special Olympics.

DePinto’s daught