Vandals Damage Gravestones At Atoka Cemetery

<p>Someone vandalized a &nbsp;cemetery that has been around since 30 years before statehood.</p>

Tuesday, August 9th 2016, 12:12 pm

By: News On 6


Someone vandalized a cemetery that has been around since 30 years before statehood.

Coby Sherrill told KXII, the CBS affiliate in Sherman, Texas, he went to show his son the West View Cemetery in Atoka last weekend, but what they found instead were headstones kicked over and some shattered beyond repair.

"We drove by and noticed that several of the graves had been vandalized," Sherrill said.

Right across the street from the old Atoka stadium, more than 15 gravestones are knocked over and broken. 

Atoka Museum Manager Gwen Walker studies the history of the gravestones at West View Cemetery and said she is very disappointed.

"These vandals always hit the oldest part of the cemetery where our very oldest citizens are buried," Walker said.

Walker said a lot of these people helped settle the land when it was first opened to Native Americans.

The cemetery no longer has open grave sites and there are few families left to keep watch.

The cemetery is owned by the city, but runs on donations. Walker said repairing the stones is difficult and expensive.

Atoka Police told KXII, they do not have any suspects and are looking for any information people may have.

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