22-070 Detectives Arrest St. Petersburg Man For Theft From a Cemetery
Theft Arrest
Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
Investigative Operations Bureau
-Burglary and Pawn Unit
Douglas Deck (Suspect – Arrested)
DOB: 7/18/1991
Address: 5245 58th Avenue North, St. Petersburg
Charges: Four counts Dealing in Stolen Property, one count Damage or Removal of Tomb or Monument and one count Possession of a Controlled Substance
Memorial Park Funeral Home (Victim)
Address: 5750 49th Street North, St. Petersburg
PINELLAS COUNTY: Detectives assigned to the Burglary and Pawn Unit have arrested 31-year-old Douglas Deck for Dealing in Stolen Property, Damage or Removal of Tomb or Monument and Possession of a Controlled Substance.
Detectives say from July 12, 2022 to July 13, 2022, over 125 bronze vases were removed from cemetery plots at Memorial Park Funeral Home, located at 5750 49th Street North in St. Petersburg. The vases were affixed to concrete headstones on gravesites throughout the cemetery to allow for flowers to be placed as ornamental decorations. The removal of the vases resulted in a loss of approximately $150,000.
Detectives learned patrol deputies responded to a local scrap metal yard on July 21, 2022, and recovered 124 of the stolen bronze vases. Through various investigative techniques, detectives were able to identify Deck as the subject who sold the vases to the scrap yard for a total payout of approximately $1149.60.
On July 23, 2022, Deck was arrested and charged with four counts of Dealing in Stolen Property, one count Damage or Removal of Tomb or Monument and one count Possession of a Controlled Substance. Upon his arrest, Deck was found to be in possession of .25 grams of Fentanyl.
Deck was transported to the Pinellas County Jail.
The investigation continues.
