Arnold Police are investigating damage to five headstones and two benches at Richardson Cemetery, 2060 Richardson Road. The vandalism occurred between Aug. 25 and Sept. 6, police reported.
Wesley Jackson, caretaker for Richardson Cemetery, said he discovered the damage at about 4 p.m. Sept. 6 when he went to the cemetery to see if the grass was dry enough to cut.
“I was shocked and disheartened,” said Jackson, who has been the cemetery’s caretaker for the last four years. He’s also a member of the Arnold Historical Society, which helps maintain the cemetery.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Jackson said. “It was so sad. I was appalled. There is no reason for it. Nothing was accomplished. It is just a silly, dumb, disrespectful thing to do.”
Jackson called police at about 6:10 p.m. to report the damage, and officers found that the headstones had been pushed over and smashed, and the benches also had been smashed.
As of Sept. 6, investigators were still trying to contact the owners of the headstones and determine who owns the benches, Detective Lt. Jeremey Christopher said.
He said a cost to repair the damage would not be known until the owners are contacted.
Christopher also said no tools or objects that may have been used to damage the headstones and benches were found in the cemetery, and Arnold Police are not aware of any other cemeteries in the area that had been vandalized.
He asks anyone with information about the vandalism to call Arnold Police at 636-296-3204.