Teen sentenced for cemetery vandalism

By Doug Russell, News Editor

STIGLER, July 23 — A teen who was among those responsible for vandalizing the Stigler city cemetery more than a year ago has been sentenced.

Chris Brewer, 19, Stigler, was sentenced to one year, suspended, and ordered to pay $899.51 for outraging public decency. Brewer was charged with the offense for kicking a tombstone at the Stigler city cemetery in May 2008.

“According to the information we had, that's all he did,” said Assistant District Attorney Russell Tacheira. “We didn't have any information that he'd knocked any over or done anything like that, and some of the information was contradictory.”

Citing confidentiality laws, Tachiera declined to comment on the cases of two juveniles who were also accused of the vandalism.

“Indications were that they did most of it,” Tacheira said. He declined to say what punishments the juveniles received. “Their cases were turned over to juvenile authorities.”

Vandals knocked over more than 40 headstones and ripped the door from an unoccupied mausoleum vault in the cemetery on May 20, 2008, upsetting local residents and causing thousands of dollars worth of damage.

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