Vandals strike gravestones in Lodi for second time in six weeks

By Gena Kittner, Capital Newspapers

LODI - More than 20 gravestones, including several dating back to the 1850s, have been toppled and damaged at this city's Mount Pleasant Cemetery, and caretakers say some are beyond repair.

"It just makes me sick because they're old, old stones and a lot of them don't have any active families left," said Aileen Brager, secretary and treasurer of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery Association. "We have no idea who's doing it."

This is the second time in the last six weeks vandals have struck the cemetery, which has more than 4,000 graves on its roughly 15 acres.

"We just got all the stones at least back on the top of the pedestals," Brager said of the first incident. "It's going to be a while before we put them back up again."

The association is offering a $100 reward for information on who's responsible for the wreckage. Brager acknowledges the reward isn't a lot of money, but says it's all the organization can afford.

Lodi police Sgt. Jeff Whitsell said the city hasn't experienced any other recent vandalism, aside from a few smashed pumpkins.

And while authorities don't have any leads on who might be responsible, "we figure there's probably a group," he said.

The cemetery is located on Sauk Street - a heavily traveled route in the city. But Whitsell said that at night, the trees and hill in the cemetery can provide cover for people up to no good. "It's pretty easy to hide in there," he said.

In total, police counted 24 gravestones damaged during the combined incidents, and Brager said at least 18 of those were the "big, old burial stones" in the older part of the cemetery, including the gravestones of some veterans.

Raymond Brager, the cemetery's sexton, or caretaker, has worked at the cemetery since the 1960s, including time he spent as a gravedigger.

He said the cemetery has been targeted by vandals before, "but not so much that you couldn't repair it."

"It's not kids stuff," he said of the damage.

Charlotte Campbell of Baraboo heard about the vandalism and visited the cemetery Thursday to check on her family's gravestones.

"(The vandalism) didn't happen to ours, but we wanted to check it out," she said.

Norma Meeker and her sister also were at the cemetery Thursday where they found the flowers at their parents' grave ripped out of the ground and the stone was chipped in a spot.

"It's terrible for everybody's (gravestones) that got damaged," Meeker said. "This is supposed to be their resting place."