Stuart police are investigating an incident at Moore’s Cemetery and expect to provide an update later this week, according to WPBF. The station reported that the incident happened on a Sunday morning at the cemetery off Southeast Monterey Road: a man allegedly urinated on a cemetery path while his dogs were nearby.
WPBF reported that Josh Brown, who lives across the street, said he witnessed the incident, took photos and later shared them on Facebook. The man’s face was blurred in the published images because he had not been charged, the station reported.
Brown told WPBF that the incident upset him and his wife and that he was concerned the people buried there could not speak up for themselves. The station also reported that new signs had appeared at the cemetery in recent days; it did not say what they stated or whether they were related to the incident.
The cemetery and applicable law
A 2020 report by TCPalm said more than 200 Black people are buried at Moore’s Cemetery.
Under Florida Statutes, Section 872.02, willfully and knowingly damaging a tomb, monument, gravestone or other memorial structure is a third-degree felony; willfully and knowingly disturbing the contents of a grave or tomb is a second-degree felony. The reported facts do not establish whether either offense occurred, and no charges have been confirmed.
