Cemetery worker uses veterans' headstones to build his patio

[GlamourNoir]

LAS VEGAS -- An employee at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery is accused of using cemetery headstones to build a patio outside his home.

A representative for the Nevada Office of Veterans Services reacted to the published reports Wednesday, telling FOX5 the organization is “devastated" by what happened.

http://www.fox5vegas.com/news/19188055/detail.html



I wasn't sure whether to put this here or in Three Things, the guy hasn't been charged with anything (yet.)

It doesn't matter that the headstones were (supposedly) no longer used because they had they wrong information on them, not only is it theft but it's incredibly disrespectful to our country's heroes and their families. One time when I went out to visit my grandfather at a civilian cemetery, his headstone had been shoved to the side all crooked by workers digging a grave near him. I hit the roof and nearly had someone's head, you bet your ass I had the caretaker apologizing up and down and putting it back into place the very next day. I can't imagine how I would feel if I found out something like this had happened, my head would probably explode from the disbelief and incomprehension. This employee needs to be charged and fired, and he needs to return the headstones which now make up his patio... twisted asshole.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

DiBenedetto described the recent incident as an “inappropriate disposal of headstones” and said the ones that were taken were no longer in use because they contained incorrect or incomplete information.

They are NOT headstones, they are discards. They had already been removed buy NOVS and were headed for disposal. The soldiers HAVE headstones... these are just junk, boo-boos, mistakes that were replaced with CORRECT headstones.

If they didn't get used, they would be turned into garbage. Any more fitting?

I would have a bit more of a problem with the fact that the worker took property that belonged to NOVS.

Whatever happens to the discarded pieces of stone, it is a whole different issue than destruction or desecration of grave sites.

[moonlilly1981]

He shouldnt have stolen them but they were trash as they were defective.

[MadmamainNC]

It's very much like that gray area of dumpster diving.
A store throws out junk and person picks garbage and gets arrested for theft.

Personally, I'd rather things be recycled than thrown out.

And maybe his heart was in the right place as well? Wanting only to use those of military members? His own little memorial patio even though the info is wrong?

Would it had been wrong if he grabbed them from the local landfill?

Now, if he stole them from the ground I'd be saying otherwise. Glamour I can see how finding your grandfathers stone in that condition would upset you. I'd feel the same way. Just disrespectful as hell.

[Dakota Valkyrie]

The guy worked for NOVS and may have taken them before anything else could be done with them... not necessarily the garbage. BUT they still were no longer headstones... they were destined for the garbage or recycling options. If so he did "steal" from his employer, but he only stole stone not grave markers as they would never grace a grave. It's not like NOVS was going to store them and keep them revered and dust free.