ETNA, Maine — Family members are hoping to repair the vandalized grave site of World War II veteran Norman Timberlake Sr. before Memorial Day.
Sometime between Thursday night and Friday morning, vandals dug up the Timberlake family plot at the Pleasant Hill Cemetery, exposing parts of three cement vault boxes. There were pry marks on one vault box, indicating the vandals may have tried to open it.
“Please help our family raise a little money to rebuild the desecrated Timberlake family grave plot by Memorial weekend,” Jason Godin posted on the Go Fund Me account he set up. “My grandfather served our country in WWll and … his stone was tipped over.”
Town sexton Leroy Hall found the disturbed grave site early Friday morning and notified police as well as Angie Godin, another relative of the deceased. Godin’s father, who died in 1994; mother, Marion, who died in 2007; and sister Shirley, who died in 2003, are buried in the plot.
Police indicated Sunday that several leads had been developed and Penobscot County Sheriff Troy Morton said Monday that work continued on the investigation, which is headed by Sgt. Roy Peary.
“We are actively and thoroughly investigating this incident,” Morton said in an email. “At this time, no further information can be released.”
Disturbing burial plots is against state law and is punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.
Angie Godin believes it was her sister’s vault that was most exposed and scarred by the vandals as they tried to pry it open. The other two vaults were only partially dug up, she said.
Jason Godin posted a picture of the vandalism on his Facebook page on Friday afternoon. By noon Monday it had been shared more than 3,400 times. He created the fundraising account on Sunday.
“He was a great man and my grandmother and aunt were amazing people,” Jason Godin posted of his relatives. “We have been blessed with support from all over the country and I hate to ask for a small donation. Thank you to all and God bless.”
Angie Godin said the $600 requested in the fundraiser would pay to make the grave site look like it did before.
“That pays for the crushed stone, hauling back in the dirt and the black plastic,” she said Monday. “It really needs some development and luckily there are some people willing to help with that.”
The town sexton said he did his best to cover the disturbed plots with dirt after detectives left.
Hall also went to the cemetery on Sunday to check on the site and everything seemed to be in order.
Anyone with information about the crime is urged to contact the sheriff’s department at 947-4585.