SHAWNEE, Kan. — Police need help finding the vandal, or vandals, who struck sometime late Friday night.
Thirty-one headstones were knocked over — some cracked and some unbroken.
In all, grave markers at three cemeteries will need to be fixed.
Pleasant View and Shawnee Cemetery and St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery all connect near the 6000 blk of Quvira.
The damage was discovered Saturday.
Shawnee and Pleasant View are owned by the city. On Monday, parks department workers spent the day scraping off old sealant and prepping more than a dozen headstones.
“We’ve found over time that noting seems to be off limits for somebody that wants to commit a crime,” Capt. Bill Hisle with Shawnee police said.
One of three larger markers was pushed over and broken into three pieces. Just a few feet away, another large headstone was knocked off its foundation.
Most of the markers in the cemeteries date from the late 1800s to early 1900s.
“There’s a lot of historical value at a cemetery,” Hisle said.
Hisle believes more than one person is involved — some of the stones are too big and too heavy for one person.
Police are asking for your help. If you have any information call Shawnee Police or use the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
