An employee of the Rhode Island Veterans’ Cemetery admitted that he stole at least 150 granite grave markers and used them for flooring in a shed and two garages. Kevin Maynard, 59, made a plea agreement in federal court that will require him to face one year of probation and serve 500 hours of community service.
According to the prosecution, investigators from the Veterans Administration and the Rhode Island State Police examined Maynard’s home on April 23, finding the headstones and also American flags that likely belonged to the cemetery.
WPRI reported that Maynard “bragged” to police about his thievery, though a federal search warrant affidavit recorded Maynard’s admission that he knew standard protocol requires damaged headstones of veterans to be ground up to guard the veterans’ dignity.
The headstones, provided by the VA’s National Cemetery Administration, are 4″ thick, 24″ by 12″.
WPRI reported in May that Maynard had resigned from his $50,000 a year job as Cemetery Specialist, which he had held since 2005, after accusations were made that he had stolen the headstones.
Maynard’s federal court date is set for July 13.
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