x
Breaking News
More () »

Lebanon officials say gravestone damage wasn't 'malicious'

They hope it will serve as a teachable moment for a group of kids.

LEBANON (NEWS CENTER Maine) — State police now know who’s responsible for overturning a number of gravestones at a cemetery in Lebanon.

Those gravestones, dating back to the 1800s, were put back in place Wednesday. Town selectman Chip Harlow left work early to lift and push the 200-year-old headstones back into place.

The toppled headstones were discovered this week when volunteers were visiting the town’s cemeteries before Memorial Day.

► RELATED: Maine State Police search for Lebanon cemetery vandals

They were located in the Winn family plot. Buried there is Jotham Winn, who was born in Lebanon in 1807, his wife Mary Wentworth, six of their seven children and one grandchild.

When the community heard what happened, they responded in force.

Harlow said he had numerous people who reached out to him wanting to know what they could do.

One of those people was Jeff Donahue, a Patriot Rider from neighboring Acton.

"If this was my family plot, I’d want someone to come out here and make it right, too," Donahue said.

Harlow, Donahue and the town’s treasurer Jordan Miles worked together until all of the headstones were back the way they should be.

Town officials said it was a group of kids who overturned the stones but said their intent was not malicious. They're hoping this will serve as a teachable moment for them.

Before You Leave, Check This Out