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Kevin Morrison and the caretakers at the Viroqua Cemetery deserve a hearty thank you this week after so quickly repairing damage to 40 markers at the Viroqua Cemetery last week.
On Monday, June 2, cemetery caretakers and police officers found that more than 40 markers had been pushed over or defaced with spray paint.
The damage looked awful -- desecrating markers of families and individuals.
At first it wasn’t known what could be done about the paint used, which appeared to be high-gloss and might have penetrated any porous portions of the monuments.
However, just two days later, after a lot of elbow grease and dedication, the cemetery caretakers had erased most of the damage. Stones that had been toppled had been righted. Stones that had been defaced with spray paint had been cleaned. We thank the cemetery workers and all those who helped restore that place to its previous condition.
It’s easy to understand the anger that many people feel due to the vandalism at the cemetery. It appears that as of yet, those responsible have not freely come forward. Rewards are available to people who want to give tips anonymously through Crime Stoppers.
Authorities have been busy with many things, from last week’s marijuana raid, to flooding, to the countless untold calls they make to help protect citizens. Yet each day, local police officers have also kept working on this case as well, following leads and asking questions.
“We received a Crime Stoppers tip just Monday morning, so we’re still checking those out,” Viroqua Police Chief Mark Rahr said. “But as for having somebody come to the office or call us and say, ‘Yeah, I know who did it,’ with absolute certainty — that hasn’t happened yet.”
If you have information on the cemetery vandalism, contact Crime Stoppers at (608) 637-8477 or 1-800-657-6868 or the Viroqua Police Department at 637-2121.
—Matt Johnson
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