Man jailed for stealing brass from graves

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SARNIA, Ontario, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A Canadian man was sentenced to 85 days in jail for stealing brass flower holders from graves in southwestern Ontario and selling them for scrap.

The court in Sarnia, in southwestern Ontario, heard Tuesday some 34 brass flower urns had been reported stolen from two area cemeteries in recent months, the QMI Agency reported.

Bjay Ravenhorst, 33, was arrested in January when a suspicious scrap metal dealer called police.

The investigation found another scrap metal dealer had previously paid Ravenhorst $300 for 16 urns, the report said.

He pleaded guilty to various charges, including possession of stolen property, defrauding the scrap dealer, possession of stolen power tools and possession of morphine.

The judge said his sentence could be served on weekends so he could continue working.

Ravenhorst's defense attorney, Don Elliott, told the news agency his client would serve his time in protective custody, as jail inmates generally react violently to convicted grave robbers.