Memorial Vase Theft Recovery

Portland, Maine - On November 15, 2012, Portland Police detectives and officers of the Sanford Police Department recovered forty-eight stolen bronze memorial vases.  Sixty bronze memorial vases were reported stolen from the Brooklawn Memorial Cemetery, 2002 Congress Street between November 7th and November 12th, 2012.

Information leading to the recovery of the stolen memorial vases was provided by Fred Smith, the owner of JMS Cleaning, 13 River Street, Sanford. Mr. Smith, who purchases scrap metals, learned through the media of the memorial vase thefts and contacted Portland Police.

Utilizing information provided by Mr. Smith and with assistance from officers of the Sanford Police Department, a suspect in the thefts has been identified and is currently incarcerated at the York County Jail on unrelated charges. Charges regarding the memorial vases theft are expected to be forth coming.

The collaborative efforts between law enforcement, the media and the public are credited with the timely recovery of the memorial vases and identifying a suspect. The investigation is ongoing as are efforts to recover the remaining memorial vases.

The approximate value of the recovered memorial vases is $10,000 dollars.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to contact the Portland Police Department at (207) 874-8533.