Residents upset after cross mysteriously vanishes from beach

MONTEREY, CA (KTRK) -- Residents were stunned to find a metal cross erected on Easter weekend was mysteriously removed from a California beach.

Beachgoers in Monterey were upset Tuesday after they found someone had taken the religious symbol from Del Monte Beach.

Speculation mounted about what happened to the cross, and then they finally got their answer: the city did it.

Monterey city officials say crews took down the cross after it was anonymously installed on the beach, which is public property.

Mike McCarthy, city manager for the town of Monterey, explains.

"When the issue came up again over this weekend, we determined...we looked at this morning, we determined again that it is appropriate not to allow a cross on city property," McCarthy says.

The city says the person or group who put up the cross are not in any trouble, and that it will keep the cross for 90 days.