Men Steal Hundreds Of Vases From Cemeteries: Police

LAKE COUNTY, IL — Two Waukegan men face charges tied to accusations they stole hundreds of brass and bronze vases from cemeteries in Lake and McHenry counties.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office has obtained arrest warrants for Marcos Mendez, 41, and Fermin Tonche-Gallardo, 30, following a probe that began in August. At that time, deputies learned vases valued between $500 and $800 each were stolen from a cemetery in unincorporated Libertyville.

The victims told police they bought the vases to place "on the headstones of their loved ones," according to a news release from the sheriff's office. An investigation revealed that hundreds of similar vases had been stolen from cemeteries across Lake and McHenry counties.

Police learned that after stealing the vases, Mendez and Tonche-Gallardo sold them to scrapyards for a faction of their value where the vases were melted down for their metal, according to the news release. Authorities took Tonche-Gallardo into custody on Wednesday, and were working to track down and take Mendez into custody.

Both have been charged with five counts of causing damage to a headstone and theft, and additional charges are possible.

Meanwhile, detectives are investigating the scrapyards to determine if any criminal liability exists for accepting the stolen vases, according to the news release.

Tonche-Gallardo appeared in court Thursday morning and has been released with pre-trial conditions. He is next due in court on Nov. 7.