ALVA, Fla. — People in Alva and the Lee County Sheriff's office want to know who vandalized graves in the Alva cemetery.
“It's a shame because it was a nice memorial, ” said Jim Tharp.
The cemetery says the damage was found Thursday morning, tombstones ripped from the ground, a statue knocked over and, flags displaced - all in an area marked to remember Confederate soldiers.
The cemetery believes the memorial was vandalized late Wednesday night.
“I’m sure a lot of people here are really good people and they don’t deserve it, ” said Tharp.
Jim Tharp, a veteran himself, says he came to pay his respects to a close friend, and can't imagine how someone could be so senseless.
“I am sure everybody is decimated because they come to visit their loved ones and they come up with something like this, ” said Tharp.
He says, that unfortunately, this has become a trend, filled with hate and disrespect.
“Of course it happens all over the country, I’ve seen especially veterans cemetery’s desecrated…I guess people got too much time on their hands, ” said Jim Tharp.
Local organizations have since come together to fix and replace the memorial.
But to the people who caused the destruction, Tharp has a very strong message,
“What comes around goes around, ” Jim Tharp.
The president for the Alva cemetery tells Fox 4 that they are currently working with the Lee County Sheriff’s department to determine what safety measures need to be taken next.
