Cemetery theft spree suspects arrested after bronze veteran burial markers stolen from headstones
(NEW YORK) — Two people have been arrested in connection with a spree of bronze veteran marker thefts from headstones being stolen from cemeteries across Indiana, police said.
The La Porte County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation on Aug. 28 following a series of reports to authorities that bronze veteran markers were being stolen from grave headstones in the immediate vicinity of Union Mills and Rolling Prairie Cemeteries, but also from headstones in the Carmel, Pinola, Greenwood and St. Stan’s Cemeteries.
In total police found that at least 15 bronze veteran markers were reported as being stolen and one additional as being damaged.
“On August 28th, the agency publicly announced the investigation and encouraged citizens to visit the gravesites of deceased veterans,” the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media regarding the case. “Just one day later, credible information was provided to investigators identifying a suspect.”
Following their investigation, Detective Jake Koch and Detective Aaron Banic arrested 53-year-old Terry Wood and 25-year-old Breanna Puentez in connection with the thefts.
“Personnel from several divisions executed an operation dubbed, ‘Justice, Peace and Salute’ this morning at a residence in the 400 block of Andrew Avenue in La Porte,” police said. “Wood was taken into custody and additional evidence was recovered from the property. Later in the day, Puentez was taken into custody and charged in Circuit Court for her role in the theft ring.”
Wood and Puentez currently remain in police custody and have been charged with one count of felony theft and 15 felony counts each of cemetery mischief, police confirmed.
Wood is now being held on a $15,005 cash-only bond and Puentez is not eligible for bond, authorities added.
“This type of criminal behavior is disgusting, unacceptable, and will not be tolerated in La Porte County! It is the hope of the entire Sheriff’s Office that because of the diligent and thorough investigation by Detectives Koch and Banic, justice will be served to both accused subjects,” said Captain Derek J. Allen. “Hopefully, US Veterans, both deceased and living, can find peace and comfort with these arrests, and with that, we salute them for their service.”
The investigation into the thefts is currently ongoing and a court date has not yet been announced for the accused individuals.
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The 29-year-old daughter of a former longtime MLB pitcher has been missing since last week after visiting a bar with her ex-boyfriend, according to police.
Brenna Swindell, the daughter of Greg Swindell, was last seen on Aug. 22 at Poodies Hilltop Bar in Spicewood, Texas, outside Austin, according to the Austin Police Department.
Swindell was at the bar at about 10:20 p.m. with her ex-boyfriend, Morgan Guidry, who has also not been seen since Thursday. Both of their cellphones have been off since Friday, police said.
Swindell is about 5-foot-4 and approximately 120 to 140 pounds, according to Austin police. She has brown hair and hazel eyes and tattoos on both arms.
Police identified a vehicle she might be traveling in — a white 2022 Kia Carnival minivan with Texas license plate VFS 7528 — and said she was “possibly seen” in Colorado Springs or Denver.
Police did not offer further information, but a post on Greg Swindell’s Facebook said that a license plate reader in Colorado flagged the Kia, owned by Brenna Swindell, on Friday night. Greg Swindell posted on his X account that people should be on the lookout for the vehicle in Idaho as well.
“Ms. Swindell has not been in usual contact with her family and friends,” Austin police wrote in a statement. “APD is concerned about her safety and immediate welfare.”
Greg Swindell played 17 seasons in the majors as a starting pitcher early in his career and later as a relief pitcher. He played for six different teams, including Cleveland, Cincinnati, Houston, Minnesota, Boston and Arizona. He finished his career with a record of 123-122 and a 3.86 ERA and won a World Series title with the Diamondbacks in 2001.
He was the No. 2 overall pick in the 1986 MLB draft out of the University of Texas at Austin.
“First of all, I can’t thank you enough for the shares and messages…I have been sifting through them while Greg is in Austin with the police,” Swindell’s wife, Sarah, wrote on his Facebook, adding, “Please continue to pray for the safe return. Thank you all so much again.”
ABC News’ Jenna Harrison and Jen Watts contributed to this report.
(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — The sheriff for Illinois’ Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, which employed the former deputy charged with fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her home after she called 911 to report a prowler, will be retiring later this month, he announced Friday in a statement.
“As elected leaders, we must always put the overall good of the community above ourselves; and I will not risk the community that I swore to protect. For this reason, I am announcing my retirement as Sheriff of Sangamon County, effective no later than August 31st,” Sheriff Jack Campbell said in the statement.
Campbell was responsible for hiring Sean Grayson, the now-former deputy who has been charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains in custody.
A review by Illinois State Police found Grayson was not justified in his use of deadly force. He was fired from his position with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on July 17, the same day the charges were filed against him.
Grayson’s job with Sangamon County was one of six different police jobs he held over the past four years.
Prior to his employment with Sangamon, Grayson worked at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office for just under a year. According to audio files obtained by ABC News, Grayson’s then-boss, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, expressed concerns over Grayson violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports while discussing his mishandling of a traffic case.
Campbell previously told ABC News that Sangamon County was not aware of this incident when Grayson was hired. Without knowledge of his disciplinary issues at Logan County, Campbell said that Grayson presented no red flags.
Prior to his time in public law enforcement, he was discharged from the U.S. Army for unspecified “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.
ABC News also learned that Grayson was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents.
In an interview with ABC News last week, Campbell stood by his department’s vetting process and had said at the time that he would not resign, despite calls from Massey’s family for him to step down.
On Friday, he said that it has “become clear that the current political climate has made it nearly impossible for me to continue effectively in my role.”
“Some individuals would rather see our community divided and in turmoil, than allow me to continue serving as Sheriff,” he said. “The health of me and my family, the Sheriff’s Office, and our community has to be my priority.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker had called on Campbell to resign over Grayson’s hiring.
“I called for the sheriff’s resignation because the sheriff has failed,” Pritzker said at an event on Wednesday, according to ABC Chicago station WLS. “He has failed to explain how he ended up hiring this deputy sheriff who has been fired from other departments.”
Attorney Ben Crump, who is representing Massey’s family, called Campbell’s retirement “a turning point in the ongoing pursuit of justice.”
“Although the pain of her loss is still fresh, Sonya’s family is willing to work with the outgoing sheriff for the remainder of his tenure to help heal the community and achieve full justice for Sonya,” Crump said in a statement. “The Massey family also hopes to work with Sangamon County’s next sheriff to examine how this tragedy happened and to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again in this community.”
Campbell, who was elected sheriff in 2018, told ABC News he was “horrified” following the incident involving Massey.
Grayson, 30, and a second, unnamed deputy responded to her 911 call on July 6 reporting a possible intruder at her Springfield home.
Body camera footage shows Massey, who was unarmed, telling the two responding deputies, “Please, don’t hurt me,” once she answered their knocks on her door.
Grayson responded, “I don’t want to hurt you, you called us.”
Later in the video, while inside Massey’s home as she searches for her ID, Grayson points to a pot of boiling water on her stove and says, “We don’t need a fire while we’re in here.”
Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson then shouts at Massey and threatens to shoot her, the video shows, and Massey apologizes and ducks down behind a counter, covering her face with what appears to be a red oven mitt. She briefly rises, at which time Grayson shoots her three times in the face, the footage shows.
Grayson said he feared for his life during his encounter with Massey, according to documents released by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office this week.
“While on scene, I was in fear Dep. (redacted) and I were going to receive great bodily harm or death. Due to being in fear of our safety and life, I fired my duty weapon,” Grayson wrote in his field case report.
Grayson’s defense team was seeking his pretrial release from jail, arguing in a motion filed on Thursday that he is currently under cancer treatment and will not receive adequate care in the Menyard County Jail. They also stated that he does not pose a threat to Massey’s family.
A judge denied the request on Friday. ABC News has reached out to Grayson’s attorneys for comment.
The Menard County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Grayson “is not receiving any preferential treatment, nor being afforded any privileges or benefits not afforded to other inmates of the Menard County Jail.”
(PHILADELPHIA) — A man accused of stabbing a Philadelphia park ranger on Sunday has been charged with ethnic intimidation, police said.
The suspect — 34-year-old Thomas Riceman — also faces charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault and terroristic threats, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia Police Department told ABC News.
Police said they responded to reports of an assault Sunday afternoon in Rittenhouse Square, where they found the victim in the park’s security booth suffering from multiple stab wounds.
The victim, who had been working inside the security booth, told police the suspect had entered the booth and laid down before the alleged attack.
When the victim asked the suspect to leave, the suspect “suddenly attacked,” stabbing the victim in the face and head with scissors, police said.
According to police, the ethnic intimidation charge was filed because the suspect allegedly told the park ranger to “go back to his own country.”
Despite being injured, police said the victim managed to handcuff the suspect and hold him until police arrived.
The victim was transported to a hospital, where police said he was last listed as being in stable condition.
ABC News wasn’t immediately able to determine if the suspect had retained legal counsel.