1 guilty plea in stolen grave plaque case; other hearings set

BREIDABLIK — One of the men arrested for desecrating brass plaques of veterans’ graves in Breidablik Cemetery pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two months in jail.

The remaining three await their next court dates.

Robert James McDonald, 40, pleaded guilty to attempting to elude a police vehicle on Dec. 16, according to the Kitsap County District Court. He was sentenced to two months in jail and $700 in fines and court fees.

Brian Lindsay, 41, Jeremy Toliver, 38, and Joseph Felice, 28, are charged with first-degree trafficking, according to Deputy Prosecutor Justin Zaug. Lindsay and Toliver have hearings on Jan. 10, Felice on Jan. 12.

Zaug said if all continue with not-guilty pleas, they will be transferred to Superior Court for trial, but all have “made admissions” they knew the property was stolen when they attempted to sell it.

The thefts were discovered Nov. 11, Veterans Day, and all four men were arrested Nov. 16.

Kitsap County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Deputy Scott Wilson reported in November that, according to the investigation, Toliver and Felice were responsible for the actual thefts from 12 grave sites. McDonald had attempted to sell the stolen plaques to a scrap metals dealership in the Gorst area; Lindsay was also attempting to “off-load” the stolen goods, according to Wilson.

Detectives have recovered 10 of the 12 brass grave plaques stolen from the North Kitsap cemetery. All the plaques sustained damage that can’t be repaired. Detectives estimate the total loss of the brass plaques, to the next-of-kin of those interred in the cemetery, at about $15,000.

 

Contact North Kitsap Herald Megan Stephenson at mstephenson@northkitsapherald.com or 360-779-4464.

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