LOCAL

Utica man charged after allegedly stealing 43 grave markers

Maria DeVito
Newark Advocate
Dustin Johnson, 24, of Utica, was charged after allegedly stealing 43 grave markers from a cemetery  in Knox County.

MARY ANN TOWNSHIP - A Utica man was arrested after he allegedly stole more than 40 grave makers from a Knox County cemetery that he intended to sell for scrap. 

Dustin M. Johnson, 24, was arrested for theft, criminal trespassing, possessing criminal tools as well as for a warrant out of the Newark Police Department.

According to a report from the Licking County Sheriff's Office, deputies were called to a storage unit facility at 5420 Fallsburg Road in Mary Ann Township about a possible burglary in progress. The deputy found a maroon Chevrolet Suburban parked between two sets of storage unit buildings and Johnson and Megan E. Crawford, 32, walking on the southeast portion of the property.

Johnson had a flashlight and screw driver in his left pocket and according to the report he said he was driving the maroon Chevrolet Suburban southbound on Fallsburg Road when the vehicle ran out of gas.

According to the report, Johnson said he pulled into the storage unit facility and was stealing gas out of a silver Chevrolet Caviler.

The report indicates a black hose was running from the vehicle's gas tank to a gas can on the ground. Johnson stated the black hose and the gas can belonged to him.

The maroon Chevrolet Suburban belonged to Crawford's mother and according to the report, she gave the deputy permission to search the vehicle. Inside the vehicle, the deputy found a trash can that contained 43 metal grave site markers.

According to the report, Johnson said the grave site markers came from a cemetery near Bladensburg in Knox County.

Sheriff's Office Captain Darl Evans said the department is still determining which cemetery the markers came from.

Johnson was transported to the Licking County Justice Center that evening. He posted 10 percent of his bond and was released Monday, according to Licking County Municipal Court records. Crawford was not charged.

mdevito@gannett.com

740-328-8513

Twitter: @MariaDeVito13