Merrill Sanford’s phone buzzed at about 7:45 a.m. Thursday, carrying bad news from a friend. Within minutes, Sanford was on the road.<\/p>\n
Ten minutes later, Sanford arrived at the Douglas Eagles Cemetery, which has been in his family for more than 50 years. When he got there, he saw what his friend had texted him about: a Jeep had plowed through the fence around the cemetery and had torn up sod in the cemetery itself.<\/p>\n
The Jeep was still there in the cemetery, Sanford said, but the driver wasn’t there. Police were already on scene, Sanford said. The cemetery sits just off Douglas Highway near Lawson Creek Road.<\/p>\n
The damage to the fence itself is probably between $3,000 and $5,000, Sanford said, but other damages go beyond money. A decades-old lilac bush was ripped up, and a headstone from 1913 (belonging to John Wesley Stoft Jr.) was broken in half, along with a couple other headstones Sanford is still working to identify.<\/p>\n
“Most of all that stuff was old and it’s sad to see something get destroyed, that’s for sure,” Sanford said. “I just hope nobody was hurt.”<\/p>\n
\nEarly this morning, a Jeep crashed through the historic Douglas Eagles Cemetery, breaking this century-old headstone and destroying the fence. More on that soon at https:\/\/t.co\/DWwRKYmrMU<\/a>. #Juneau<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7DktEA6Xoh<\/a><\/p>\n
— Alex McCarthy (@akmccarthy) September 7, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n