~by Janice Harbaugh for GreeneCountyNewsOnline
Between Monday night, July 27, and Tuesday noon, July 28, a semi-tractor trailer is suspected of damaging seven headstones in the Paton Township Cemetery on Highway 144, south of the Paton corner.
All the damaged stones belong to the Glawe family. Butch Glawe was contacted by cemetery trustees after the damage was discovered.
Glawe and his friend Les Fister spoke with GCNO Thursday afternoon from the cemetery as they surveyed the damage and pieced together how it had happened.
“From the tracks, it looks like the semi was going south and wanted to turn around. It turned west into the cemetery with the trailer going through a ditch. Then more turns that took out seven Glawe stones,” Glawe said.
Glawe and Fister believe the trailer was damaged. Glawe said, “Parts from the brake system were laying around. It was probably an apron trailer and had been carrying cattle feed.”
Glawe said cattle feed was found in the area.
“We hope there is security footage from cameras at places along the highway.”
GCNO asked about repair to the stones. “I don’t know if the cemetery has insurance for this,” he said. “The stones seemed to come apart in the seams, so we hope they can be repaired.”
Glawe mentioned a stone set in 1917. “My grandfather and great-grandfather,” he said. “My whole family is here, on both sides.”
