Vandals open mausoleum door

WARREN — Police were called Monday morning to the mausoleum next to Oak Wood Cemetery off of Niles Road because the caretaker had found the door to be cracked open.

Service-Safety Director William Franklin said police treated it as a crime scene. He said there was some damage to the concrete cases holding the bodies of the deceased but nothing was stolen.

“We were surprised they could obtain entry,” he said.

Officials had secured the door after a similar case happened on Halloween night in 2005. A body was removed from the mausoleum.

Franklin said he thinks the suspect or suspects were planning to come back and this is why they left the door cracked open. He believes this happened sometime during the weekend.

“We have taken extra steps and welded the whole door shut,” he said.

Breaking into a mausoleum is a federal offense, and a fine of $2,500 or jail time can be levied. No arrests have been made.