MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Police in Pocahontas, Arkansas say they used GPS technology to track down the person who stole flowers from graves at a local cemetery.
Pocahontas Police Chief David Edington said they have received numerous reports of flower arrangements and stuffed animals being stolen from the Masonic Cemetery in recent months.
Chief Edington said they found the flower thief and some of the stolen items after using a GPS tracker to place a flower arrangement in the cemetery.
“Someone called after they realized these had been stolen. So my detective immediately called the device and we were able to track it to a residence,” Chief Edington said.
Chief Edington said the Pocahontas home was full of flowers and it appeared that the woman who lived there had dismantled the arrangements to create new arrangements for sale.
“I’ll tell you how many arrangements were in there. It was difficult for my detective to even locate his GPS device on the package posted there, but we were able to identify it and make an arrest,” Edington said.
Katherine Martin, 52, was booked into the Randolph County Jail on a charge of receiving stolen property valued at less than $1,000.
“We're going to reach out to the sheriff's department and a few others and see if they have any reports as well,” Chief Edington said. “We are not sure if the individual traveled throughout the county or visited cemeteries near their home.”
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Pocahontas police are now trying to locate the victims and seek compensation on their behalf.
“It wasn't something we reported on weekly, but we're just happy to provide some relief to the family members because it was very disturbing for them,” Edington said.
Anyone who had flowers stolen from a grave between December 1 and April 9 is urged to contact police at 870-892-9867.
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