VANDALISM GETS TOUGH PENALTY

Notice to cemetery vandals: Crime doesn't pay.

When Old Lorimier Cemetery in Cape Girardeau was vandalized last year, there were a good many opinions that those responsible would never be caught and, if they were, wouldn't be severely punished.

But not only where suspects caught, one already has pleaded guilty and faces sentencing April 1. If the fate of another suspect is any indication, the penalty will be severe. A pregnant woman who accompanied the vandals was recently sentenced on the reduced charge of trespassing was sentenced to 15 days in jail, 500 hours of community service and restitution of more than $1,500 in damages by Associate Circuit Judge Gary Kamp.

A third suspect, the husband of the pregnant woman, has yet to be tried. Most observers hold no sympathy for the vandals and would like to see the strictest punishment handed out. Cemetery desecration is among the most despicable forms for property damage. And those who are caught shouldn't get off lightly.