Men accused of stealing metal from cemetery

ST. PETERSBURG -- Sheriff’s deputies have arrested two men who are accused of stealing 1,500 pounds of titanium surgical hardware from vaults at Memorial Park Cemetary.

The surgical hardware metals were remnants received by the cemetery from funeral homes after cremations. These remnants were subsequently deposited into secured cement vaults interred on unmarked cemetery grounds and are held in "perpetual care" as deemed by state law.

According to detectives, 19-year-old Jack McWilliams (left), who is a former employee of the cemetery, and 42-year-old Vincent Paul Marlyne drove a truck onto an unmarked area of the cemetery grounds. Once there the men used two-by-fours to pry open and remove two cement vault tops and then took the metal contents, the Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies say on or about Jan. 28, Marlyne took the metals, approximately 1,500-pounds worth, to Tampa and sold it for scrap for about $1,500. The men split the money, the Sheriff's Office said.

McWilliams and Marlyne face charges of injuring a tomb or monument by disturbing its contents.

- Abhi Raghunathan, Times staff writer