Charges of grave desecration will not haunt Shamokin Mayor William Milbrand, as the local district attorney has announced he will not prosecute Milbrand on 42 counts levied against him by a local police officer, reports Penn Live.
The announcement comes after an investigation found a lack of probate cause that Milbrand knowingly desecrated the graves during the construction of a cell tower last summer. County Detective Degg Stark, who conducted the investigation, said no criminal activity was found under state law.
“Accidental or even negligent damage is not deemed to be criminal activity by Pennsylvania law,” Stark told Penn Live. “The damage may be civil in nature rather than criminal.”
The officer who charged Milbrand retired last month and was critical of the city administration in his retirement letter. Milbrand refused to say whether or not the charges were a vendetta against him.
“I’m glad [the district attorney] saw through the charade,” Milbrand said. “Justice was done.”
The investigation found that the contractor covered 12 gravesites with dirt and two by a road used by a subcontractor during construction of the tower. None of these findings warranted prosecution against the mayor, according to the district attorney.
Previous media reports showing pictures of broken or misprinted stones were inaccurate, as those stones were lawfully discarded before construction of the tower began.
February 22, 2017
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