MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY – The volunteer group responsible for maintaining the Eagle Valley Cemetery northeast of Sundre hopes members of the public may have information that could help lead to uncovering who was behind an alleged act of vandalism that destroyed a portion of a chain-link fence.
Peggy Johnson, a director who sits on the cemetery’s board and is also a Mountain View County councillor, told the Albertan she discovered the damage on Monday, April 8 but added the destructive and disrespectful act was committed sometime in the days prior.
The chain-link fence remained in good condition after being installed in 2018 courtesy of volunteer labour with assistance from a contractor at an overall estimated cost of about $3,000 that included all of the hours involved as well as supplies, said Lynne Henry, the cemetery board's secretary treasurer.
A roughly 150-foot portion of the fence was affected, and 10 posts that were cemented into the ground were cut off, presumably, by a pipe cutter at ground level and will all need to be repaired, said Henry.
The board had as of the time of writing not yet made a final decision as to how to proceed with repairing the fence, which was not covered by any kind of insurance, she said.
“Who would have guessed we would have such malicious destruction?” she said.
Sundre RCMP detachment’s acting Corp. Locky Matheson confirmed on Tuesday, April 9 that the incident had been reported and a file created.
“It looks like somebody purposely cut the fence with a saw,” said Matheson, who added the vandalism amounted to mischief.
“That’s wilful damage,” he said.
Although a member did attend the scene, Matheson said there at the time were no further investigational avenues to pursue.
“The file is still open,” he said.
Anyone who might have seen something out of place in the area of Eagle Valley Cemetery in the days leading up to April 8 is encouraged to contact the Sundre RCMP’s complaint line at 403-638-3655.
Alternatively, information may also be provided anonymously by contacting Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com or by using the P3 Tips app available through the Apple App or Google Play Store.
