LEWISTON — Riverside Cemetery can’t get a break.

In the summer of 2010, a trio of vandals swept through the grounds, toppling nearly 200 headstones and causing damage in the tens of thousands of dollars.

This week, thieves crept into the cemetery in the wee hours and made off with the iconic U.S. flag that hung near the gate.

Caretaker Patrick Rossignol discovered the theft early Tuesday.

“I opened the gate at 5:15 or 5:30 a.m.,” he said. “Something caught my eye. I thought, ‘Something’s missing,’ but I couldn’t figure out what it was.”

It came to him soon enough. When Rossignol switched on the lights to illuminate the gloom, it became apparent at once.

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“I said, ‘Oh, no! Somebody stole my flag,'” he said.

Rossignol was particularly perturbed by the theft because of recent work done on the flagpole. It was stripped down, painted and then straightened after years of leaning at a precarious angle.

Now the pole looks great. It just has no flag waving at the top.

The culprits didn’t have to climb to the top of the pole, Rossignol said. It was down for the night and only had to be unclipped. Chances that the flag will be recovered are slim, he figures, but you never know.

After the vandalism spree of 2010, the community rallied around the cemetery and police eventually tracked down the suspects. Three young men were charged with causing damage that cost roughly $40,000 to clean up.

Rossignol is hoping for a little more luck in tracking down the latest suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call him at 782-1681. Tipsters can also contact Lewiston police at 513-3001.


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