A man accused of vandalizing and stealing more than 100 brass markers off of veterans' graves in several local counties has been arrested and charged.

Police say 43-year-old George Swogger is responsible for thousands of dollars in damage. According to police, Swogger stole bronze plaques from cemeteries in Columbiana, Tuscarawas, Carroll and Stark counties, cut them into pieces and tried to sell the scraps.

Carroll County Sheriff Dale Williams says he and his deputies worked with Canton police and the Stark County Sheriff's Office to track Swogger down. After a month-long investigation, police finally caught him in Stark county on Tuesday.

Even though Swogger is behind bars, Williams says the investigation is still going strong.

"Hopefully, there's going to be more charges coming against him from this county. But it's been a co-investigation between Stark and Carroll," says Williams.

Residents in Carroll County say they can't believe someone would do such a thing.


"For that to happen to anyone, that's horrid desecration of what our country stands for," Janet Gwynn said.