SANDUSKY, Ohio – The past couple of months have been frustrating for Dan Hedberg.
“It’s once a week, and sometimes it was like two or three times a day we were getting hit,” he said.
Hedberg is the manager of Oakland Cemetery on Milan Road. He says the city-owned property has been hit heavy with theft.
“Nobody can defend themselves and stealing’s wrong anyway, but stealing from the cemetery? That’s about as low as it gets,” he said.
After filing a series of reports law enforcement, Sandusky Police decided to tackle the problem. They set up cameras around the cemetery and planted bait – a palm tree, which was repeatedly stolen from one grave.
Within a matter of days, a thief took the bait.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “For one thing, I’m surprised he could pick that urn up and put it in his vehicle. It’s just sad that you steal from the cemetery.”
Detective Sgt. Dana Newell said the arrest was unusual. Investigators went to the suspect’s home and found dozens of stolen items lining the driveway.
Sandusky Police arrested and charged Jeffrey Huey, 23, of Clyde with felonious theft, breaking and entering and vandalism. He’s currently being held at the Erie County jail on $20,000 bond.
Newell said the suspect had dozens of stolen property from across Northern Ohio and Southern Michigan. Huey is believed to have been re-selling the items.
Now, Newell says the police department would like families to come forward and claim any items stolen from their loved ones gravesite.
“It feels good that for us that we could do that and that it worked out, and that we could get items returned to people,” Newell said.