War Memorial Vandals To Pay Restitution
Judge Orders Teens To Community Service
POSTED: 4:21 pm EDT July 9,
2009
UPDATED: 6:03 am EDT July 10,
2009
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- Two Mount Pleasant teenagers have been ordered to perform hundreds of hours of community service and pay restitution for vandalizing a memorial honoring a Marine killed in Iraq and other military veterans.Isabella County Trial Judge William Ervin on Wednesday ordered the 14- and 13-year-old boys to 200 and 225 hours of community service, respectively.Ervin said much of that service will involve maintaining various war memorials in Mount Pleasant and surrounding areas, and the Iraqi Freedom memorial in Island Park, which the two vandalized in April.The boys cited boredom as the reason for the vandalism on the memorial that honored Marine Lance Corporal Justin EllsworthEllsworth was killed in Iraq in 2004. Earlier this year, the teens stole the rifle and helmet off the monument.The teens will also pay back thousands of dollars they did in damage and write a letter of apology to Ellsworth’s family.
Copyright 2009 by WNEM.COM. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
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