Cemetery Worker Stole Gravestones To Pave Garage Floors

[orangeblossom]

What in the world?  I just... Why did he think this was okay?  I'm all for recycling, but this... No.

abcnews.go.com/US/cemetery-worker-stole-veterans-gravestones-pave-garage-shed/story?id=32447395

A worker at the Rhode Island Veteran's Memorial Cemetery was accused of stealing more than 150 granite gravestones to pave the floor of his garage and shed, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Rhode Island and federal court documents.



The worker, Kevin Maynard, 59, was charged with felony theft of government property after the Rhode Island State Police got a tip, according to court documents obtained by ABC News. His employment status at the cemetery, in Exeter, was not clear.



Investigators followed up on the tip this past April, when they say they discovered the grave markers used as flooring for two makeshift garages and a shed at Maynard's Charlestown, Rhode Island, home, according to the documents.



They also say they found additional gravestones on his property and a box of American flags allegedly stolen from the veteran's cemetery.



Investigators took photographs of the findings, including a grave marker honoring World War II U.S. Army veteran Romeo J.A. Pelletier, and his wife, Grace Joyce, according to a federal affidavit obtained by ABC News.




Maynard allegedly began removing the worn or broken grave markers from the cemetery and taking them to his home around 2008 or 2009, U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Jim Martin told ABC News.



Regulations say that any government-issued gravemarkers remain government property in perpetuity, according to the U.S. attorney's office.




Maynard was arraigned in U.S. District Court on Monday, where he pleaded "not guilty."



He previously told authorities he would change his plea to "guilty" at a future plea hearing in exchange for a reduced sentence, according to a plea agreement obtained by ABC News. The plea agreement was filed June 15, 2015.



Maynard's lawyer, Kevin Bristow, told WPRI that defendants are not allowed to plead guilty before a magistrate, but he will change his plea at an upcoming hearing.



Maynard and Bristow did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.




Though Maynard could face a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and supervised release for three years the government will recommend to the court that he just be given a year of probation with the special condition of completing at least 500 hours of community service, according to the plea agreement.



The headstones that mark the graves at the Exeter cemetery all belong to US military servicemen are provided free of charge to families of veterans by the VA, WPRI said. The station added that cracked or deteriorated stones are also replaced for free, and the damaged ones are stacked in an area at the cemetery until they can be hauled away to be destroyed.




The US Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Veteran's Memorial Cemetery did not immediately respond to ABC News’ inquiries about Maynard’s employment status.

[sangria]

If that's not asking for a haunting of epic proportions, I don't know what is.

[bears]

So, was he just stealing the ones that had already been replaced? What was normally done with them-- were they trashed? The article isn't clear.

[josieposy]

Jul 15, 2015 18:13:40 GMT -5 sangria said:

If that's not asking for a haunting of epic proportions, I don't know what is.

By veterans no less!

[secretlyevil]

Ummmm....yeah I've got nuthin'.

[pixy0stix]

I don't have a problem with this.

[LoveTrains]

Jul 15, 2015 19:06:26 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

Jul 15, 2015 18:18:48 GMT -5 bears said:

So, was he just stealing the ones that had already been replaced? What was normally done with them-- were they trashed? The article isn't clear.

So, was he just stealing the ones that had already been replaced? Yes.

The way they explained it on the local news is that ordinarily they would be collected by (sold to?) a stoneworking company who would grind them up and then sold as landscaping gravel or something.

Exactly. The guy was a moron. 

[josieposy]

It's still govt property.

[bears]

Jul 15, 2015 19:06:26 GMT -5 kevin arnold said:

Jul 15, 2015 18:18:48 GMT -5 bears said:

So, was he just stealing the ones that had already been replaced? What was normally done with them-- were they trashed? The article isn't clear.

So, was he just stealing the ones that had already been replaced? Yes.

The way they explained it on the local news is that ordinarily they would be collected by (sold to?) a stoneworking company who would grind them up and then sold as landscaping gravel or something.

I guess if it was sold to the companies that were grinding the headstones I would view this harshly since, yup, he's stealing from the government. If he was just hauling away waste, it wouldn't bother me.

I would also think it was shitty if he put them with the inscription side up. If they were face down, if have less of a problem with it.

I have thought too hard about this.

[LoveTrains]

He was stealing stuff from work. The end. Maybe I've been poisoned by the local news but there have been SO many stories of this (we got this and the beach explosion, folks, its a slow news time in RI) and they make it sound so heinous and horrendous. Plus stories from outraged others about this!

[bears]

I'm not saying he was right, just that I probably can't get worked up about it.

[emisi]

H and I got all worked up about this at first, until we got to the part where he wasn't stealing them off the GRAVES, he was stealing them from a waste pile. That doesn't bother me as much.

It does bother me a little that the landscaping gravel I buy might be ground up gravestones, though.

[ttt]

Hasn't this guy ever seen a horror movie?

[bugandbibs]

Man, I just bring home pens from work.