Northwest Missouri man gets 14 years for grave thefts

BETHANY, Mo. – A northwest Missouri man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for stealing bronze headstone markers from more than a dozen grave sites.

The St. Joseph News-Press reports that 46-year-old Leslie Harrison was arrested for forcibly removing the bronze markers from Bethel Cemetery in June.

He was caught attempting to sell the grave markers as scrap metal in Jamesport.

Harrison pleaded guilty earlier this month in Daviess County Circuit Court.

Circuit Judge Thomas Chapman also ordered him Wednesday to pay $1,600 in restitution.

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 10:13 AM with the headline "Northwest Missouri man gets 14 years for grave thefts."