Man sentenced to prison for stealing ashes from Grand Island cemetery

GRAND ISLAND, Nebraska (KSNB) – A man who stole two urns from a Grand Island mausoleum in May has been sentenced to prison.

Richard Boon, 34, pleaded guilty in June to burglary and prohibited acts with human remains, court records show. On Monday, he was sentenced to 8 to 15 years in prison for the burglary and 23 to 24 months for the human remains.

Grand Island police said the break-in at Grand Island Cemetery on Stolley Park Road was reported on May 23. The urns are believed to have been stolen sometime between May 17 and May 23.

According to police, the two urns containing cremated human remains were stolen from inside a mausoleum.

On May 27, officers tracked Boon to a stolen vehicle they believed was connected to the burglary. A search of the vehicle uncovered evidence linking Boon to the crime.

Boon, who represented himself in court, pleaded guilty to both charges. Police said they found no evidence that Boon was related to the people whose ashes were in the urns.

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