Two arrested in vandalism at cemetery

BROOKFIELD — Police have arrested two Warren men accused of vandalizing a township cemetery last summer.

Jonathan Lyons, 19, of Shalom Avenue Northwest, and John Fritch, 25, of Stewart Circle Northwest, are each charged with felony vandalism.

They appeared Thursday in Eastern District Court and have been released on bond. Police Chief Dan Faustino said Lyons was arrested Thursday and Fritch was arrested Wednesday.

Last August, more than 100 grave markers at Brookfield Cemetery were damaged, causing more than $11,000 damage.

The chief said the two men were suspects from the beginning. A police officer working midnight turn saw the two at a grocery store near the cemetery early that morning.

At that time, the damage hadn’t been reported. When the officer learned of the damage, he shared the information about the two men with the detective, but police needed more information to make an arrest.

The cemetery’s oldest marker dates to the middle 1700s.