FOX CROSSING — A months-long investigation into stolen gravestone markers at a Fox Cities cemetery has led to the arrest of a Lamartine man who allegedly sold the century-old markers online.
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Bradley Bloch has been charged with six counts of felony theft after police say he stole six cast iron markers from St. Patrick's Cemetery in Fox Crossing, each weighing about 100 pounds and valued between $10,000 and $15,000.
The theft was first discovered nearly a year ago when cemetery lawn workers noticed that grave markers were missing, leaving only indentations in the ground where the markers once stood.
"One of the lawn care guys had pointed out one of these crosses had just gone missing... and we looked around and noticed multiple were missing," said Peter :, cemetery coordinator for St. Patrick's Cemetery.
Krautkramer reported the theft to police in May after discovering six similar markers were missing from the graveyard.
The Fox Crossing Police Department's investigation revealed the stolen markers were being sold online through various platforms, including Facebook Marketplace and eBay. Other sales were tracked to buyers in Kewaunee and Waupun.
"The common denominator on all of these is that they had the name and the contact information for the exact same individual in all of these cases, tying them all together to one person," said Officer Daniel Wiechman, community liaison officer for Fox Crossing Police Department.
Police believe the thefts were financially motivated.
"These types of thefts, one can only speculate they're interesting in selling them for scrap, decoration, or whatever their financial gain might be from it," Wiechman said.
The stolen gravestone markers are more than a century old, and no relatives of those buried beneath the missing markers have come forward, according to cemetery officials.
Krautkramer emphasized the significance of the theft beyond its monetary value.
"We believe strongly in the dignity in the people buried here and to take a marker like this is significant, to the person and the family," Krautkramer said.
In response to the thefts, the cemetery is now securing additional markers in cement to prevent future incidents.
The cast iron gravestone markers remain in police evidence while the district attorney determines how long they will be held.
