Flags stolen from veterans' graves in Leechburg, mayor offers reward for information

Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos wants to know who stole dozens of flags from veterans’ graves at Leechburg Cemetery.

Dobos, a Vietnam veteran, is offering a $100 reward for information leading to the prosecution of the person who did it. And other people have offered to contribute to the reward fund.

“I just can’t believe that anybody could stoop that low to take a flag,” Dobos said.

Larry Boehm, vice president of the Leechburg Cemetery Company, was cleaning headstones with his daughter Saturday when he noticed 30 to 50 flags were missing. Volunteers place numerous flags at veterans’ tombstones each year for Memorial Day.

Boehm believes the theft occurred between May 23 and 30. All the flags were still there May 23 when Boehm went to the cemetery to cut grass.

Boehm said the flags were taken from numerous places throughout the cemetery. He assumes that was done so no one would notice. There are no surveillance cameras at the cemetery, Boehm said.

“It didn’t seem like they were trying to make a point, and it didn’t seem like it was vandalism,” Boehm said. “They did it in such a manner that if you looked at it from a distance it would look OK, but you would have to get up close to realize that pieces were not there.”

No one had reported the theft to police as of mid-Monday afternoon, Leechburg police Chief Jason Schaeffer said.

Volunteers had a hard time getting flags this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dobos said volunteers weren’t able to get flags from their usual organization, so he and another man, John Weiland, called local VFWs and American Legions to see if they had flags. Through those efforts, they were able to get the 1,500 flags they needed, Dobos said. The volunteers go to more than one cemetery to place flags.

“I felt it’s the least we can do for the veterans that gave their life,” said Weiland, who lives in Leechburg.

American Legion Riders Post 114 in Vandergrift donated 30 flags to replace the stolen ones after one of the group’s members learned of the theft on Facebook. The legion also puts flags on veterans’ tombstones and had extras.

Legion member James Brink, a Marine Corps veteran, said the theft irritates and infuriates him.

“It’s all part of being a veteran … to help everybody out regardless of the situation,” Brink said. “But it just (is) something that shouldn’t have happened.”

Dobos hopes someone with information will come forward to claim the reward. In order to do so, the person must be willing to file a police report and potentially testify in court, Dobos said. Anyone interested in donating to the reward fund can message Dobos privately on Facebook messenger.

Boehm said the cemetery still needs about a dozen flags to replace the stolen ones, plus extras. Anyone who is interested in donating flags can reach out to the cemetery company via its Facebook page or send an email to leechburgcemeterycompany@gmail.com.