Vandals tipped over 106 headstones at Longmont’s Mountain View cemetery on Saturday and knocked a granite Civil War memorial statue from its base, broke it into pieces and stole its head.
Cemetery manager Tracey George said it appears at least two vandals have struck the cemetery on four occasions since July 6. The first time they tipped eight headstones from bases, the second time 20 were tipped. She said the first two incidents were not reported to police. A police report was made July 31, after vandals tipped 51 stones.
But then, sometime after a private security company patrolled at about 12:15 a.m. Saturday, vandals returned and tipped 106 headstones, a couple weighing up to 2 tons.
The Civil War memorial statue donated to the cemetery in 1907 was pulled from its base. The statue’s fall broke the base, the soldier’s legs above the ankles and the rifle that also attached the figure to the base. Its head broke off at the neck and was dug out of the impression in the ground that was left and is missing.
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