Cemetery Thief Steals Vases, Cashes Them In
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| David Gillespie, 26, Homeless |
Mesa County, Colo. -- In May 2013, deputies took a report of 15 stolen bronze vases/urns from Memorial Gardens Cemetery. The headstones associated with the missing vases/urns were primarily those of veterans, according to the Memorial Gardens staff who reported the items stolen. The estimated loss of those stolen vases was $9,000.00, at the time the report was taken.
Local recycling businesses were notified of the missing vases and urns. On June 20, one of those local businesses notified the Grand Junction Police Department that David Bryan Gillespie had brought similar vase/urn items into the business for sale/recycling.
Investigators with the Sheriff's Office ultimately obtained a warrant for Gillespie who was arrested on this warrant outside of Mesa County. He was transported to the Mesa County Detention Facility on October 8, 2013. He faces three charges associated with this theft, one of which is a felony and two misdemeanor charges.
