DOUGLAS, Ariz. (KGUN) — A man who allegedly removed flowers and other items from the graves of veterans at a cemetery in Douglas cemetery could face charges.
The case from December is causing long-awaited change to the city's cemetery.
The City of Douglas replaced the flowers on the affected graves after a man came and removed all of them, last month.
Workers at the cemetery told KGUN 9 this wasn't the first time the man had come here and caused trouble.
The workers said they saw the accused man once a week, in the month leading up to the flowers disappearing.
"Staff saw the individual walk out from (the cemetery)," said Douglas Mayor, Jose Grijalva. "That's how they knew who it was."
The workers said the accused man spoke rudely to people visiting the graves of their loved ones. The last time they saw him, was the day the flowers disappeared.
"If we don't hold people accountable, now, who's to say somebody else won't do (something like this again), and then somebody else after them," Grijalva said. "There's always been a concern, but we're moving forward with the they should have been at the forefront so a few 1000 for cameras and safety and security. It is long overdue."
Officials with the Douglas Police Department, told KGUN, the case is with the county attorney's office to determine if charges will be filed. They anticipate hearing back within the next month.
"When you're on city property, you should feel safe. You should feel protected," Grijalva said.
The new mayor asked the city to replace the flowers and make buying security cameras a top priority.
"(Buying cameras) should have been one of the first things that we should have done," he said.
The City is buying three new cameras and installing them at the entrances of the cemetery.
"It's something that we need to be proactive about," Grijalva said. "We can't wait until, God forbid, something happens, somebody gets hurt. We need to protect our citizens quickly and as soon as possible."
He says safety matters more than a couple of thousands of dollars spent on the cameras, and while the mayor says privacy is important at the cemetery --- the cameras will hold anyone accountable if they do damage or steal from the cemetery.
"We're not going to be spying on people, but if something happens to a grave, we could always go back and check the history to see what was done and how we can fix it," Grijalva said.
The removed items were collected by the cemetery workers. They have them at the office for people to pick up.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
