ST. LOUIS – The owner of Tom Murray Monument Company says he got a call from his security company Sunday at 7:50 p.m. for a break-in.
When he got to the scene, he was surprised by the sight of the toppled gravestones, weighing 400 pounds, thrown off their granite bases.
“Found out a car ran into here and the police were here, and the tow truck tried to pull the car out,” said Rich, the owner of Tom Murray Monument Company. “They finally got it out before 9 p.m., and that’s the damage she done.”
Rich said St. Louis police took the female driver of the vehicle into custody.
“I plan on having this just boarded up for now, and then we’re going to see about rebuilding this to make sure it’s secure because we’re not going anywhere,” Rich said. “This company has been here since 1945. There was five of them on this West Florissant, and this is the only one that is still left.”
No customer’s granite headstones were damaged in the crash in the 5000 block of West Florissant Avenue, just across the street from Calvary Cemetery.
“It’s just another stuff that happens on this street,” Rich said. “People are speeding and driving crazy. Just frustrated with this, but the only thing we can do is fix it and keep going.”