Seven teens are facing mischief charges after dozens of headstones in a Mitchell, Ont., cemetery were vandalized last week.
Perth County OPP say just before 9:45 a.m. on the morning of Jan. 4, officers responded to a citizen’s report of damage to headstones at St. Vincent de Paul Cemetery on Nelson Street.
A total of 61 headstones were damaged, police said.
On Monday, police announced that seven teens had been arrested and charged.
The identities of the accused are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, but the group includes a 13-year-old from Huron East, a 16-year-old from Stratford and a 14-year-old, a 15-year-old, two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old from West Perth.
Each of the accused faces two counts of mischief over $5,000.
In a media release announcing the news, acting inspector David Sinko said officers worked with information provided by members of the public to identify and arrest the suspects involved.
“I hope that with these arrests, those directly affected by the damaged memorials, and the entire community, can begin to recover from the distress that this has caused,” Sinko added.
The seven teens are scheduled to appear in a Stratford courthouse at an unspecified date in the future.