Vandals Smash Headstones at East Texas Cemetery

Longview police say someone vandalized more than 80 headstones at a cemetery in East Texas.

Police received two calls for vandalism at Greenwood Cemetery this month, the latest was on Tuesday.

Gates were broken so that vandals could get into the cemetery an police say they moved, knocked over or broke 88 headstones over the weekend.

The cemetery was the first established in Longview in 1877. Police say headstones marked as official historical markers were knocked over and damaged, including the one belonging to the city's founding father O.H. Methvin.

Debra Stiles with the Longview Police Department. told KETK-TV the cost of the damage could be up to $1,000, or more, per headstone.

"It doesn't appear that any of the tombstones are missing. So this is really just a case of vandalism. It's not like they were gaining anything from harming all these headstones," said Stiles.

The cemetery will remain closed until police find the person or persons responsible for the vandalism.

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