FREDERICK, Md. (AP)- A statue of a Confederate soldier that stands in a Maryland cemetery was toppled and two other monuments on its grounds were defaced, according to police.
Frederick Police Lt. Andrew Alcorn told the Frederick News Post that officers found the Confederate statue destroyed when responding to Mount Olivet Cemetery on Tuesday morning.
The statue had been beheaded and could be seen on the ground splattered in red paint. Cemetery Superintendent Ronald Pearcey told the newspaper it likely won’t be repaired.
The other monuments were also painted with different signs, including one that read “Black Lives Matter.”
The toppling of the statue, which stood on the ground where nearly 400 Confederate soldiers were buried, comes several days after graffiti and stickers supporting white supremacy were found in a park in the city, the newspaper reported.
The destroyed statue was erected in 1880 by the Ladies Monumental Association of Frederick County, the New Post reported.
Frederick Mayor Michael O’Connor said in a statement on Facebook he found out about the racist messages on Saturday morning and ordered officials to remove them.
Mount Olivet Cemetery used to have more Union soldiers buried on its grounds before they were moved to another cemetery in Sharpsburg, about 24 miles (38.6 kilometers) west of Frederick, Chris Haugh, a historic preservation manager for the cemetery, told the Frederick News Post.
The cemetery also took down a Confederate battle flag from the memorial last week amid the national push to remove Confederate monuments, flags and other statues many see as symbols of racism.
