Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lance Ito on Wednesday issued a statement confirming reports that courtroom-door placards baring his name have been stolen so many times that he stopped replacing them and has decided to leave the entrance to his chambers incognito.

“About five of them have disappeared,” he said. “I gave up replacing them …”

Because of his role presiding over the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, Ito is perhaps the nation's most famous trial-court jurist. As such, an official county placard with the engraved name Lance Ito apparently has value to celeb watchers, sports fans or history buffs.

As the Los Angeles Times reported, Ito already has the hardest-to-find courtroom at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center downtown. That's on purpose: Ito gets hounded by fans.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.