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Cortez Cemetery limits access after theft and vandalism

The Journal

The Cortez Cemetery will start locking its gates because of theft and vandalism, said Gayle Johnson, manager of the Cortez Cemetery District.

The cemetery will be open only during operational hours, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday and weekends.

On Monday, cemetery workers arrived to find that an electric gas pump had been stolen, and gasoline had been siphoned out of an external tank at the cemetery, Johnson said. The Cortez police officers are investigating, she said.

People also have been coming in after hours and tampering with sprinkler heads, she said, and workers found evidence that someone had been sleeping in the cemetery pumphouse. A few weeks ago, Johnson discovered someone who was jumping on a headstone and trying to knock it over, she said.

Johnson also cautioned visitors to slow down while in the cemetery.

The district’s next board meeting is at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at First National Bank. The meeting is open to the public.