MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — The Martin County Sheriff's Office is seeking information about damage to a 110-year-old headstone, the second vandalism at All Saints Church in a week.
On Tuesday, the headstone on the grave of a Martin County man was broken off and pushed over, causing damage that will require a "costly fix by restoration professionals," the sheriff's office posted on Facebook. The cemetery is located at 2303 Northeast Seaview Drive.
The repair cost is estimated at $5,000
"It's real money that, unfortunately, the church is going to have to pay," Chief Deputy John Budensiek told WPTV reporter Kate Hussey.
Budensiek said last week that someone broke window bars on the church's outdoor shed and damaged a fence. The vandals left behind damage, beer cans and cigarette butts.
He believes whoever vandalized the cemetery the first time, vandalized it the second time, and said while he doesn't have any suspects or a motive yet, whoever committed the crime will be charged with a felony.
Criminal mischief at a place of worship rises a crime to the level of a felony.
"This is personal for me, both of my grandparents are buried right there by the headstone," Budensiek said. "To have somebody coming in there pushing over headstones really goes against the grain of anything we stand for as Americans and Martin County residents."
The All Saints' Episcopal Church and All Saints' Cemetery opened in 1898.
The cemetery's earliest burial was recorded on Nov. 17, 1904, according to the Historical Marker Database. The cemetery has more than 5,700 graves.
"We’re still responsible for caring for the graves of the loved ones that have passed," Joyce Fletcher-Menard, the cemetery's board president and historian, said.
Menard walked WPTV to the broken tombstone and said that based on the way it had been knocked over, it was clear the incident happened on purpose.
"You can see it's a pretty hefty piece of marble," Fletcher-Menard said. "Nobody accidentally bumped it and knocked it off."
"It's so quiet back here, so peaceful, and that's what resting in peace is about, and to desecrate that, it's unbelievable," cemetery manager Rebecca Damberg said.
Damberg and Fletcher-Menard said it was disheartening to see a crime that so blatantly disrespects the reverence of the resting place and those who rest in it.
"This could be my father. It could be anyone's father. Nobody wants to see their family's grave desecrated like this," Fletcher-Menard said.
Fletcher-Menard said part of what makes the repair so expensive is having to fly in an expert to restore it.
If you have any information on who might be responsible for the crimes, call the Martin County Sheriff's Office at 772-220-7000.