Headstone by headstone, teams from Kitchener and Stratford carefully assembled 62 headstones that had been toppled by vandals.
“We’re very pleased to be able to put things back together today,” said cemetery board member Dennis O’Reilly.
Six Perth County teenagers and one from Huron County, ages 13 to 17, have been charged with mischief over $5,000 for allegedly pushing over 60 headstones at St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery in Mitchell on the evening of Jan. 3.
The identities of all defendants are protected under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Crews from the Stone Center prepare to lift a fallen headstone in Mitchell, Ontario. on Monday, January 9, 2023 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
O’Reilly says he’s glad someone can be held accountable for the damage and heartache caused by the senseless vandalism, as are police, who released the following statement Monday afternoon.
“Members of the Perth County OPP detachment have worked tirelessly to follow up on information received from the public to ensure that those responsible for this senseless act of mischief are identified, arrested and charged.” I hope that with these arrests, those directly affected by the damaged memorials and the entire community can begin to recover from the disaster this has caused,” said Perth County OPP Acting Inspector David Sinko.
O’Reilly and the cemetery board are pleased with the arrests, but are focusing on getting the toppled headstones upright and re-secured, something they feared might have to wait until spring due to wet conditions at the cemetery last week.
“We have contacted some of the local residents and families who have a direct connection. They are excited that we can do this right now,” he says.
Dirt clings to a toppled headstone at St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery in Mitchell, Ontario. on Monday, January 9, 2023 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
Crews from Superior Memorials lift a toppled headstone back into place at St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery in Mitchell, Ontario. on Monday, January 9, 2023 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
While a handful of the headstones, especially the oldest ones, cannot be put back in place because they are so fragile, most of the 62 toppled headstones will be returned to their rightful place by the end of the day, O’Reilly said.
He says he has heard from relatives as far away as the US South, asking if their loved one’s headstone was damaged in last week’s vandalism.
“We’re picking up some soil with them. Some of the dirt is frozen for some of them. We’ll wait until they thaw. We are yet to have warmer weather so we can clean them a little better. We’ve tried some of the early ones and we just don’t want to damage them,” says O’Reilly.
As CTV News previously reported, the initial estimate to select, reinstall and eventually restore more than 60 toppled headstones is $50,000.
A toppled headstone hangs in the air as it prepares to return to its base at St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery in Mitchell, Ontario. on Monday, January 9, 2023 (Scott Miller/CTV News London)
The issue of paying for vandalism is yet to be resolved. O’Reilly says insurance won’t cover the cost of pickup and cleanup, and while some in the community may want the young suspects to pay for the damage they caused, O’Reilly is looking for the public’s help.
“We still have to deal with the financial side of it. We don’t know the exact numbers yet, but we’ll get there. We hope to cover that with some donations,” he says.
O’Reilly says some donations have already come in, along with volunteers who showed up Monday morning to help clean up. You can learn more about the restoration plan for the cemetery of St. Vincent de Paul by visiting www.phccatholic.com or by emailing svdpmitchell@dol.ca.
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