LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Wilson County man has been sentenced to serve 12 years in prison after vandalizing nearly 150 headstone markers in two Lebanon cemeteries.
The sentence comes more than a year after 33-year-old Justin Elmer was identified as a suspect in the July 16, 2022, incident, which left several family members dismayed as their loved ones’ gravestones were found pushed over, and some destroyed.
PREVIOUS: More than 150 headstones vandalized at Lebanon cemeteries
According to Lebanon police, damage was discovered at the Cedar Grove Cemetery and neighboring Wilson County Memorial Gardens. At the time, the damage was estimated to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Gary Jones was one of the people who found his relative’s grave toppled over after the vandalism at Cedar Grove Cemetery. In an interview with News 2, Jones said, “This was my uncle, my mother’s brother. He served in World War II. He fought to save this country, for the freedom of this country, and people want to do this kind of damage. It’s totally absurd.”