Thieves stole bronze plaque from veteran’s headstone at Independence cemetery, police say

Independence police say they have identified a man pictured in photos allegedly showing the theft of bronze plaques from headstones — including one from a veteran — at Mt. Washington Cemetery.

Detectives on Wednesday circulated photos showing two men allegedly involved in a theft on Oct. 28 at the cemetery at 614 Brookside Ave. Later in the day, police said they had identified at least one of the men and the vehicle.

Police have not said whether either of the men were considered suspects or had been arrested.

An employee at the cemetery witnessed a theft of a bronze plaque from a veteran’s head stone, according to police. The plaque was valued at $800.

The employee saw a man on a bicycle pry off the plaque and put it in his backpack. The employee then saw the man give the backpack to another man sitting in a Ford Taurus before putting his bike on the car. The two men then left in the car.

Police asked anyone with information to call the Tips Hotline at 816-474-8477, call the Independence police tips line at 816-325-7777 or send email to leads@indepmo.org.

This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 10:08 AM with the headline "Thieves stole bronze plaque from veteran’s headstone at Independence cemetery, police say."