Spider
03-24-2005, 09:35 AM
http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/03/24/news/casper/856dbbf670492b5e87256fcd006d0b3b.txt
Man gets prison term for cemetery thefts
By ANTHONY LANE
Star-Tribune staff writer Thursday, March 24, 2005
A man who tried to profit by selling as scrap metal the vases and nameplates taken from 100 or more monuments at Highland Cemetery in Casper was sentenced Wednesday to serve 18 to 36 months in prison.
Randall Moore, 49, made a brief statement to people gathered in the Seventh District courtroom before receiving his sentence.
"I shouldn't have taken them," Moore said in part.
Speaking outside the courtroom after the hearing, several people -- including members of Moore's family -- expressed regret that the damage done to the monuments cannot easily be undone and that Moore's sentence could not be longer.
"I think he should have gotten 10 years," said Hollie Madigan, Moore's aunt.
In addition, Madigan suggested, her nephew should have been ordered to pay restitution to each family affected by the theft instead of a sum slightly over $300 to the two local companies that bought -- and later returned -- 618 pounds of red brass taken from the cemetery.
The discrepancy between Moore's sentence and what many would view as a just punishment in this case highlights the difficulty in quantifying the value of the items beyond a mere measurement of their weight.
District Attorney Mike Blonigen said the perceived callous nature of Moore's crime may account for him receiving what amounts to a stiff sentence given the legal circumstances.
"It is relatively unusual for a person in his situation to go to prison," Blonigen said.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Schafer had asked for a slightly longer sentence of two to four years.
Moore's defense attorney argued in response that his client was successful in the past when he was sentenced to probation on a felony drug conviction and a separate misdemeanor.
Richard Endicott, who spoke to the Star-Tribune earlier this week about his family's recent discovery of damage done to the monument marking where his mother eventually will be placed next to his father, urged the court to impose a significant sentence.
"It wasn't just one crime," Endicott said. "It was hundreds of crimes."
Mark Patceg, a city of Casper employee who supervises the cemetery, talked to Endicott and Moore's family members after the hearing.
Patceg said it is difficult to measure the amount of damage Moore did to the cemetery, guessing that nameplates and vases were taken from about 100, if not more, sites.
About 100 pieces Moore sold to local metal recyclers are now back at the cemetery awaiting loved ones who can help determine where each belongs, Patceg said. The process is complicated by similarities in many of the vases and by the fact that friends and family members of many who are buried at the cemetery no longer live in the area.
He said he does not know if any items were taken from the cemetery without being taken to the two scrap yards that set aside and later returned all of the material.
Patceg consoled Moore's mother after the hearing, telling her that what happened was not her responsibility even as she was visibly upset with the knowledge of what her son had done.
Speaking later, Patceg said the mere suggestion of destruction and vandalism at a cemetery can be unsettling even to those who find the sites of their loved ones escaped damage.
"Any time this happens, it causes a lot of pain to a lot of people," Patceg said.
Man gets prison term for cemetery thefts
By ANTHONY LANE
Star-Tribune staff writer Thursday, March 24, 2005
A man who tried to profit by selling as scrap metal the vases and nameplates taken from 100 or more monuments at Highland Cemetery in Casper was sentenced Wednesday to serve 18 to 36 months in prison.
Randall Moore, 49, made a brief statement to people gathered in the Seventh District courtroom before receiving his sentence.
"I shouldn't have taken them," Moore said in part.
Speaking outside the courtroom after the hearing, several people -- including members of Moore's family -- expressed regret that the damage done to the monuments cannot easily be undone and that Moore's sentence could not be longer.
"I think he should have gotten 10 years," said Hollie Madigan, Moore's aunt.
In addition, Madigan suggested, her nephew should have been ordered to pay restitution to each family affected by the theft instead of a sum slightly over $300 to the two local companies that bought -- and later returned -- 618 pounds of red brass taken from the cemetery.
The discrepancy between Moore's sentence and what many would view as a just punishment in this case highlights the difficulty in quantifying the value of the items beyond a mere measurement of their weight.
District Attorney Mike Blonigen said the perceived callous nature of Moore's crime may account for him receiving what amounts to a stiff sentence given the legal circumstances.
"It is relatively unusual for a person in his situation to go to prison," Blonigen said.
Assistant District Attorney Michael Schafer had asked for a slightly longer sentence of two to four years.
Moore's defense attorney argued in response that his client was successful in the past when he was sentenced to probation on a felony drug conviction and a separate misdemeanor.
Richard Endicott, who spoke to the Star-Tribune earlier this week about his family's recent discovery of damage done to the monument marking where his mother eventually will be placed next to his father, urged the court to impose a significant sentence.
"It wasn't just one crime," Endicott said. "It was hundreds of crimes."
Mark Patceg, a city of Casper employee who supervises the cemetery, talked to Endicott and Moore's family members after the hearing.
Patceg said it is difficult to measure the amount of damage Moore did to the cemetery, guessing that nameplates and vases were taken from about 100, if not more, sites.
About 100 pieces Moore sold to local metal recyclers are now back at the cemetery awaiting loved ones who can help determine where each belongs, Patceg said. The process is complicated by similarities in many of the vases and by the fact that friends and family members of many who are buried at the cemetery no longer live in the area.
He said he does not know if any items were taken from the cemetery without being taken to the two scrap yards that set aside and later returned all of the material.
Patceg consoled Moore's mother after the hearing, telling her that what happened was not her responsibility even as she was visibly upset with the knowledge of what her son had done.
Speaking later, Patceg said the mere suggestion of destruction and vandalism at a cemetery can be unsettling even to those who find the sites of their loved ones escaped damage.
"Any time this happens, it causes a lot of pain to a lot of people," Patceg said.