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NORWALK, Conn. – More than $100,000 worth of stolen brass gravestone plaques from two Richards Avenue cemeteries were recovered by Norwalk police Wednesday in connection with a case in which a 38-year-old Norwalk man took the plaques to sell for scrap, police said.
Police arrested Hector Hernandez, of Longview Court, on a warrant Wednesday and charged him with first-degree larceny, a felony, and making a false statement. Hernandez was released after posting $20,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Norwalk Superior Court on April 19.
Victor Moran, who lives in Westchester County, N.Y., was also arrested in connection with the crime, according to Norwalk police. Moran was apprehended by Secaucus, N.J., police and charged with possession of stolen property and related charges, but details of that arrest were not immediately available.
Norwalk police said the more than 100 stolen plaques were from graves of children and veterans, among others.
All of the plaques have been recovered, but they have not yet been returned to the families of the deceased because the investigation was continuing.
Hernandez took the plaques from St. John’s Cemetery and Beth Israel Cemetery on Feb. 26, police said. The plaques varied in size, with smaller ones valued at $400 to $600, and larger plaques valued at $1,200.
Norwalk Police Sgt. Lee Young and Detective James Thompson spearheaded the investigation, with assistance from the Secaucus Police Department.
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