A bizarre story from Tuesday’s Washington Post: a Rhode Island veterans cemetery employee was caught stealing gravestones and using them to pave his shed and build two make-shift garages.
When gravestones at veterans cemeteries begin to fall apart, the Department of Veterans Affairs follows certain protocol for their respectful disposable and replacement. That protocol definitely does not involve employees toting them home for construction use—but somehow 59-year-old suspect Kevin Maynard managed to sneak off the gravestones one by one, until he had dozens stashed at his home.
There, he lined his shed with the stones and assembled shoddy carports with aluminum poles and tarps. He parked his Ford truck on top.
According to court documents, investigators discovered over 150 headstones at Maynard's home. They believe he had been collecting the stones for the past six years. Several coworkers also testified that he had told them about the headstone-theft.
While employed at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, he had been in charge of taking the dilapidated gravestones to a facility where they would be crushed.
Maynard is expected to plead guilty to the charges. According to NBC, he will likely serve a year of probation and 500 hours of community service.