SHERMAN, TX -- Thieves are stealing vases from a Sherman cemetery. Police say they are likely doing it to make a quick buck. Morgan Downing spoke with one woman who wants the thieves caught, before they target her loved one's resting place.
"I don't understand how they feel when they desecrate a grave like that. How can they not feel bad?" Josephine Ford said.
Josephine Ford visited her husband's grave today to deliver some flowers, but this time she also needed to make sure the bronze vase was still there.
Over the last few weeks, over 100 vases, more than $20,000 worth, have been taken from the Cedarlawn Memorial Park cemetery in Sherman.
"More than likely they're taking them to a metal scrap yard. And if they do that, like I said, the metal scrapping yards are supposed to be letting us know," Sgt. D.M. Hampton said.
"It hurts. It's very hurtful, painful to know that someone will desecrate a grave just for a little profit," Ford said.
Ford said she is not the only one this hurts.
"Not only me, but my children, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren. I've got great-great-grandchildren that are coming up that will be visiting the graves later on and there may not be anything for them to look at and enjoy," Ford said.
This cemetery is known as an open cemetery. That means security is not provided and they are not responsible for lost or stolen items. So, if a vase is taken loved ones pay $345 to replace it.
"For a lot of us that are elderly, it's not easy for us to come up with money enough to buy a new vase," Ford said.
Ford has taken the vase from her husband's grave, just to keep it from being stolen.
Sergeant D.M. Hampton, with the Sherman police Department, says they will try to step up patrolling in the area, but the community can play a big role in catching the thieves.
"The number one thing that can really help the police department since we can't be everywhere, is the public a lot of times are our eyes," Hampton said.
Cemetery manager, George Duncan, says the cemetery may look into having cheaper vases for family members to buy.
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