ELLSWORTH, Maine — An Orland man has been charged with theft after allegedly digging up and moving his deceased wife’s headstone.
Ellsworth police issued a summons to Patrick Bouchard, 82, on a charge of theft by unauthorized taking on Nov. 6.
According to Lt. Harold Page, Bouchard admitted to taking the headstone from Woodbine Cemetery in Ellsworth on Aug. 31 and placing it at a plot in Orland.
While bereaved spouses may feel ownership of their loved one’s graves, Page said headstones and other cemetery accoutrement are owned by whoever paid for them, regardless of whether the deceased is buried in a private or public lot.
Bouchard “confessed to taking it, but says he paid for it,” Page said Wednesday. “But the original complainant has paperwork saying he [the complainant] paid for it.”
Page would not name the complainant or the wife, whose headstone was taken. The lieutenant also said he didn’t know how an elderly man could remove a headstone by himself, but that no one else has been charged because Bouchard claims he acted alone.
While the gravesite was “quite tore up,” Page said, the wife’s remains were not removed and are still safely interred at Woodbine.
“She was cremated,” Page said.”[Bouchard] says the urn is still in the ground, and we know it is because her family checked and it’s still there.”
Bouchard has a Dec. 18 court date in Ellsworth District Court. Theft by unauthorized taking or transfer is a Class E crime, punishable by up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.
Follow Mario Moretto on Twitter at @riocarmine.
This is a very grave matter.
And I thought I had heard it all….Must be more to this story than what is reported.
This is so sad.
very sad . i dont think he should even be charged because of his age. maybe he wants his wife buried closer to him or maybe he is suffering from senile dementia
I agree.
Me too Kevin. I think that they need to look at the whole story and there are questions to be answered. How long were they married? Is he not in good graces with whoever paid for it? Obviously not. He probably can’t drive to her grave and wants to visit her,even though she isn’t there.
Or maybe he’s a crabby old codger whose got some kind of grudge against someone in his family and he’s being nasty to get back at them. Let’s not make too many assumptions without any facts.
Just like you to jump right to “crabby old codger.” Hope we don;t have to still read your posts when you turn 82.
Hubert Humphrey was referring to the press when he called them, “The nattering nabobs of negativism,” but that fits Bangorian quite well, too.
Congratulations! You’re the first negative poster on this story! Wanna know what your prize is? A big ol’ giant cup of SHUT THE HECK UP!! :)
Yep, thats Bangorian for you..
most likely senile dementia
Sounds like a family feud to me. People fight while they are alive and still fight after some have died. No need of it. Work out your differences.
mine fight. sister fights me over the house . no will . my sister brother and i were heirs to the estate . not fun. they are fighting me
Want to bet he doesn’t get suspended sentence because those are reserved for real criminals. Gotta love the justice system. Wait and see but I would bet my vote on it … Oh wait I lost my vote yesterday …. Maybe my vote will be suspended too, never know…..
This is an issue that is best settled in mediation.
With dignity and respect. This is one case that the Judge would be well within their right’s to apply justice, not The Law, and rule accordingly.
I agree wholly Mike a judge would be. A few moments with somebody in between the parties, and usually the matter is settled amicably. This of course recognizing that the State is now a party. I can not preach or argue for ‘complete mercy’ in this matter. It’s too bad more people would not seek opinion of counsel (many times it’s free) before acting.
When my bio dad passed away there was a bit of, um, shall we say discussion in regards to where he should be buried. He wanted to be buried beside his fourth wife, who is buried next to her second husband. His sisters wanted him buried at the military cemetery closest to them. One son wanted to bury Pop next to his mother, Pop’s third wife. What to do, what to do?
I had him cremated and everyone got a portion of the cremains. Not elegant perhaps, nor exactly what any of the family expected, but everyone got what they wanted. The moral of the story is be careful what you wish for.
I certainly hope this family gets their act together. Let the elder gentleman have the stone where he wishes. It sounds as though there may be other circumstances involved and it could be that he will forget about it soon enough. Step up and behave with some compassion please.
Maybe the wife didn’t want to be buried with him?
I do genealogy and have seen a lot of unusual things. I suspect this gentleman didn’t want to be buried where his wife was or buy a headstone for himself.
My father is 82 and if he was of mind to do such a thing he could find a way without help.
This is one odd story.
I don’t think he’s suffering from anything except loneliness and a broken heart — sounds like old dude is really lost without his wife. Got few friends left at 82, just sits there 24/7 wishing Mable was still alive. This don’t even belong in a courtroom, it’s way too deep and personal for public scrutiny. No courtrooms, no shrinks, no old folks home — find some fellas to share a meal and play cribbage and take a Sunday drive down memory lane with him. Not everything in this world needs a diagnosis or a docket number…
thank you bill, and so well said, sometimes the only thing thats golden in the golden year is your pee
Thanks. You get it.
.
I am one of the lucky old dudes surrounded by loving family but too many do not have this blessing.
I bet he was the one who purchased it in the first place. Considering his old age, perhaps he felt he had the right to do so.
If he bought it, the gravestone is his to take. Apparently there a hoohaw about somebody else paid for it. Don’t care who paid for it, pretty shabby to drag an 82 year-old guy to court over a family squabble.
What a joke leave this guy alone.
sad how ones life turns out leave the old guy alone and worry about the child molesters
It seems to me that who ever paid for the stone should let the old man have the stone.Buy another one for the grave site. He’s 82 years old, let him have peace of mind for his remaining years. Don’t be petty, you may live long enough to regret it.
not being negative if you say the obviouis. the police wouldnt charge him if it was simply an 82 year old widower grieving the loss of his wife. must be more to it as they have the same commone sense as you fools and are just as compasionate
what the heck did he want it for??