Juveniles accused of damaging church tombstones

Six juveniles have been accused of damaging dozens of headstones at a church cemetery in southern Rowan County as well as multiple other crimes, sheriff’s investigators said.

Deputies said 37 headstones were knocked over at the cemetery behind St. Enoch Lutheran Church.

Four male and two female juveniles have been named as possible suspects in the case and in multiple thefts and burglaries in the Enochville area in recent months.

The juveniles’ names have not been released, but the sheriff’s office said several were on probation for convictions on past crimes. One of the accused was placed in a juvenile detention facility, and investigators said they’re working to place another in the same facility.

The sheriff’s office has not detailed any of the other crimes the group is accused of committing.

“The reaction is everything from anger to heartbreak,” the Rev. Dale Cline of St. Enoch Lutheran Church said. “I think everyone’s initial reaction to this is anger, and that comes from our fear we are no longer secure. But after a few moments of getting over that, I really think that I feel sorry for the folks that do this. We certainly offer forgiveness to them for this. Of course, that doesn’t mean there aren’t consequences to their actions.”

The cemetery was established at St. Enoch in 1835, and many of the damaged markers are more than a century old.

Before the vandalism was committed, church members had asked four juveniles to leave the church property after they had been seen playing around the grounds when no one was supposed to be there.

Cline also said someone had driven a car into a part of the cemetery and “cut doughnuts” on the grass.

Cline said the church is taking extra security measures, including installing cameras and motion sensitive lights and patrolling the church grounds.

Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to call the Rowan Sheriff’s Office at 704-216-8700 or Salisbury-Rowan Crime Stoppers at 1-866-639-5245.

This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 6:58 AM with the headline "Juveniles accused of damaging church tombstones."