Man accused of stealing two urns from a cemetery mausoleum sentenced to eight to 15 years in prison | 1340 KGFW

Richard Boon, (Hall County Department of Corrections, courtesy)

GRAND ISLAND – A man accused of stealing two urns from a mausoleum at Grand Island City Cemetery was sentenced Aug. 19 to eight to 15 years in prison for burglary and 23 to 24 months in prison for prohibited acts with human skeletal remains or funerary goods.

The sentences can be served concurrently.

Richard Boon, 34, who is homeless, entered his plea on June 25.

Hall County District Judge Andrew Butler sentenced Boon.

In his judgment, Butler wrote:

*A lesser sentence would reduce the severity of the crime.

*A lesser penalty would encourage disregard for the law.

*The accused requires corrective treatment, which can be most effectively achieved through placement in a reformatory.

*The circumstances indicate that the defendant was aware of the consequences of his actions and the potential harm to others.

*There is no reason to excuse or justify the crime.

*The defendant had not led a law-abiding life for an extended period of time prior to these crimes.

*The court cannot find that the defendant's character and attitude indicate that he is unlikely to commit another crime.

According to a probable cause statement from the Grand Island Police Department, police received a report of a break-in at the Grand Island Cemetery, 3168 W. Stolley Park Road, on May 23. Officers found that the shackle of a mausoleum padlock had been twisted with a tool until it broke.

Two urns containing human remains and a decorative white flower vase were stolen from inside the mausoleum. The mausoleum was last seen intact on May 17.

On May 27, officers were contacted by a store employee who had seen the image of the urns on social media and recognized them as debris she had cleared away in the store's parking lot. Store employees provided officers with a photo of the damaged urns and a cremation license plate recovered from the debris. A recognizable vehicle was visible in the photo, a red 2003 Ford F150 pickup truck. Officers determined the vehicle was registered to Richard Boon.

Officers reviewed license plate reader photos and observed a vase-shaped object in the bed of the truck on May 20. The truck was seen again on May 17 without a similar object.

The truck was located near the intersection of 22nd and Oak Streets and was towed for a parking violation. Officers executed a search warrant on the truck. Officers found vises, a tool consistent with the one used to force entry into the mausoleum, and a loose ash-colored substance throughout the cab and bed.

“Experts at the morgue have confirmed that the substance is consistent with cremated human remains,” the statement on the probable cause states.

Officers questioned Boon. He confirmed that he picked up the truck from the store on May 21 and parked it at the corner of 22nd and Oak Streets. He denied knowing anything about the urns. Boon suspected that someone had tampered with his vehicle. Officers refuted this based on video surveillance.