UPDATE: More bronze plaque thefts reported in Saint John, police say
Saint John police are investigating three additional thefts of memorial bronze plaques.
In an update shared in an email statement, Staff Sgt. Sean Rocca said similar incidents have been reported across the city over the past two weeks.
Saint John police first brought attention to this issue in a press release shared on July 24, in which they appealed for public assistance regarding the theft of plaques from a cemetery in the city’s east.
Rocca said cemetery staff have reported that approximately 15 plaques were stolen between July 17 and July 20.
“It has been learned through the investigation that most of the plaques are not from family gravesites, but were donated a hundred years ago by various organizations,” he added.
RELATED: Saint John police appeal for information in cemetery plaque thefts
Roca said the other three incidents occurred in city parks.
He said on July 21, at approximately 8:28 p.m., officers received a report that a bronze plaque had been stolen from a park in the city’s north end. The plaque was first discovered missing on July 20.
Four days later, SJPF responded to a report of a man damaging a utility pole at the corner of Richmond and Prince Edward streets. A 37-year-old man was arrested for mischief and found in possession of bronze plaques believed to have been stolen from an uptown park.
Rocca said the man has since been released from custody and is expected to return to court for a later date for theft, possession of stolen property, and mischief.
The third incident occurred on July 27, when three plaques believed to have been stolen from another park and the exterior of an uptown church were turned over to police.
Rocca said all of the incidents remain under investigation. Patrol officers continue to conduct targeted patrols of cemeteries and parks throughout the city, day and night, while working alongside the major crime unit on the investigations.
