Spokane7
49°
June 8, 2010 in City
Dozens of planters stolen from Spokane graves
Workers recover 61 after finding them for sale on street corner
Jim Falkner, executive director of Catholic Cemeteries of Spokane, holds one of the 61 Memorial Day planters that were recovered among those stolen over the past 10 days. The flowers are now on the shelves in the greenhouse at Holy Cross Cemetery.
(Full-size photo)
Cemetery employees suspected something was amiss. One by one, they learned of missing flower decorations, purchased for $25 to honor fallen loved ones on Memorial Day but now missing from gravesites at three Spokane cemeteries.
Then Monday morning, someone spotted a woman selling the colorful planters – sans the American flags – on a north Spokane street corner for $5 apiece.
An employee with Catholic Cemeteries of Spokane staked out the sale until police arrived and determined that, indeed, the for-sale planters had been pilfered from the diocese’s cemetery system.
Employees recovered 61 stolen planters. They aren’t sure how many of the 758 purchased since April 15 may have been looted.
“They just wanted their loved ones to have flowers on Memorial Day, and someone in our community doesn’t respect that or doesn’t understand that,” said Breeann Kostelecky, an employee. “We just want people to know there’s somebody out there that can do something that gross.”
Flowers were missing from gravesites at three Spokane cemeteries: Holy Cross Cemetery, St. Joseph Cemetery and Queen of Peace.
But how the planters ended up being hocked on the southeast corner of Stevens Street and Buckeye Avenue for a fraction of their original price remains a mystery, at least for now.
Spokane police Officer Brian Eckersley said the investigation could wrap up today.
“(Detectives) know who was selling them, and they have information on who she might have gotten them from,” Eckersley said.
The woman suspected of selling the stolen planters has not been arrested. She didn’t answer her door in the 2600 block of North Stevens on Monday afternoon and did not return a phone call seeking comment.
It’s unclear if she knew the flowers were stolen – a neighbor said she doubts she or her husband would do such a thing.
“I just can’t imagine anything like that with them. Nothing,” said Carran Kelley. “I think someone must have sold them a bill of goods.”
Kelley said her neighbor started selling the flowers last weekend.
Employees placed 758 planters on gravesites May 28. Some buyers had already picked up the planters, so it’s impossible to know how many may have been stolen. But judging from the sales at the black market flower stand, Kostelecky suspects quite a few.
“We watched her sell 22 in 45 minutes and that was on a Monday morning,” said Kostelecky. “I can’t even imagine what this weekend looked like.”
Human trafficking suspects released 
Nomore on June 08 at 12:57 a.m.
Possesion is 9/10 of the law.. Way to go SPD.. another failed arrest.. She was in possesion of Stolen goods and you yet again let us all down.
To all the familys of those intended for the flowers, from those of us in Spokane that truly care. I am sorry and ashammed there is scum like that in our city. Some people will never learn that there are lines to never be crossed, but our courts continue to protect them. For this I am truly sorry.
Smargasborg on June 08 at 10:13 a.m.
test
Arn on June 08 at 10:25 a.m.
This also happen in Yakima only the Dad was having one of his kids stealing flowers and they took them home and replanted them in their garden. They were busted—
Smargasborg on June 08 at 10:25 a.m.
This is what we pay the police/firemen union’s mega-salaries and pensions for. I agree with nomore.
Public Employee Pay Reform Now!!!
cffamily on June 08 at 10:44 a.m.
As a parent of a child who is laid to rest at Holy Cross and had gotten a bowl of flowers to honor her I certainly hope the people involved with this will be put to shame and prosecuted to the maximum, how low can a person go?
west on June 08 at 11:14 a.m.
Thats”SpookyHollow” at its worse.
cwiseazcougfan on June 08 at 8:56 p.m.
This is very, very sad. :(
Orange on June 09 at 6:41 a.m.
Not surprised at this at all. Typical Spokane for ya.
Sad that loved ones had to go through this.