Almost a month after a theft caused the historic Freedman’s Cemetery in Dallas to implement a curfew, Dallas police have arrested a man accused of taking eight bronze plaques from the cemetery.
Troy Springer, 51, was arrested on Oct. 23 after investigators accused him of stealing the cemetery markers, according to his arrest-warrant affidavit.
The plaques, which denote the name of the person interred, were reported to have been ripped from the walls of the historical landmark and burial site for the city’s African American residents, which is located in the 2500 block of North Central Expressway, on Oct. 1.
Springer and another person were recorded by a witness the night of the theft, police said in the affidavit.
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At about 12:13 a.m., the pair was seen on the witness video recording taking plaques from the granite walls of the memorial, then loading them into a dark gray 2006 Acura MDX SUV, according to the affidavit. The witness contacted the police after the two left.
From the video, police noted the SUV had a paper temporary license plate and distinctive stickers. Police said in the affidavit that they used automated license plate reader cameras to track the SUV.
During the investigation, police also determined that the eight plaques stolen would cost the cemetery $54,107 to replace, according to the affidavit.
On Oct. 2, police tracked the SUV to a home in Mesquite and obtained a warrant to search the home and the SUV. Police said in the affidavit that they did not find the plaques, but did encounter Springer and found a steel pry bar believed to have been used during the theft.
According to the affidavit, Springer “stated” in an interview with detectives that another man had actually used his vehicle that night and suggested that detectives talk to the other man about the stolen plaques instead.
Police said in the affidavit that after reviewing video footage that night, it’s unclear who the other suspect is because that person never faced the camera, but they were “certain beyond doubt” Springer was the man recorded loading the plaques into the car.
Springer now faces a third-degree felony theft charge, police said. As of Nov. 5, he remains in the Dallas County jail.
It was not immediately clear if he has an attorney.
The burial site is one of the largest freedman’s cemeteries in the country, according to the city’s website.
Local pastor, historian and activist Clarence Glover, who is also a member of the Dallas County Pioneer Association, which maintains municipal cemetery sites, said the theft appeared to have been a targeted heist during an earlier interview with The Dallas Morning News.
“It does have great sensitivity to those of us who are African American, because [a] sacred spot — in this case, a burial [ground] — has been desecrated,” he said.