Man charged for Glen Burnie grave theft, investigation continues

A 42-year-old Maryland man was arrested, held in jail and charged for his alleged role in taking bronze gravesite markers from an Anne Arundel County cemetery. According to reports from police, at least 75 metal items were taken from the cemetery, but they aren’t exactly sure when they were removed.

At the time of the arrests, police found four metal pieces from the cemetery at a private residence. Right now, this is the primary evidence police are relying on as the case moves forward. Despite charges being filed, investigators are still soliciting more information from the public to help build their case and are still uncertain of when the alleged thefts took place.

As the trial proceeds, prosecutors will likely have to fill in a lot of the gaps in evidence in order to meet the burden of proof necessary for conviction. If they fail to present enough evidence to link the Maryland man to the instances of theft, then a conviction may not be reached.

Another important legal question to explore is the number and nature of charges issued against the man. Currently, the accused man has been charged with one count of theft, but law enforcement may be eager to add more counts, since a large number of urns and metal grave markers have been reported missing. The important item, however, is that there must be evidence that clearly links this particular man to multiple instances of theft for the charges to have any traction. If prosecutors fail to connect the dots and the defense exposes inconsistencies in the evidence, then the case may be resolved positively.

Source: The Baltimore Sun, “Pasadena man charged in theft of Glen Burnie cemetery markers,” Andrea F. Siegel, Feb. 12, 2013