Nevada ‘scrappers’ hit new low of stealing metal from Washoe County cemetery
Jaclyn O’Malley for the Reno Gazette-Journal, with contributions from the AP:
In July, a 35-year-old man allegedly pillaged Our Mother of Sorrows Cemetery in Reno and stole more than 150 bronze vases that were meant to hold flowers for the deceased, Reno police said. Brett Taylor Allen, who has been charged with burglary and possession of stolen property, told investigators during an interview that he was “ashamed” of his grave-robbing, according to a report. He was released on bail Aug. 16.
Cemetery operations manager Sophia Mitchell said a staff member in July noticed that flowers were thrown on a sidewalk instead of resting in their bronze vases. Mitchell discovered that about 150 of the vases were missing, while flowers remained in the bronze ring that formerly held the vases.
Thefts of metals, copper in particular, have been on a big rise in the past few years. But cemetery vases? Really? Sigh.