HOUSTON(AP)
Three teenagers were arrested after two of them told police they
dug up a secluded grave north of Houston, removed the skull from
the coffin and converted it into a marijuana bong.
Police found a grave in the city of Humble that had been
disturbed, but were still investigating the rest of the teens'
story, Houston police Sgt. John Chomiak said.
Kevin Wade Jones, 17, and Matthew Richard Gonzalez, 17, both of
Kingwood, were arrested Wednesday night and were being held on
misdemeanor charges of abuse of a corpse, Chomiak said. The
juvenile was referred to the Harris County juvenile justice
system.
A woman who answered the phone at Gonzalez's home declined
comment. A telephone number for Jones could not immediately be
found, and it wasn't clear from court records if either had an
attorney.
Police were interviewing Jones about the use of a stolen debit
card when he told them about the grave theft, which purportedly
occurred around March 15, according to court documents. Asked why
Jones would volunteer such a story, Chomiak said, "We can only
speculate and guess to what goes on in the criminal mind."
Gonzalez confirmed the story to investigators in a follow-up
interview. Police were led to a heavily wooded site in Humble where
they found a knocked-over headstone and water-filled hole more than
4 feet deep. At the time, the muddy water did not allow police to
see if the coffin had been disturbed.
"They dug into this gravesite and that was enough to
warrant the abuse of corpse charge," Chomiak said. "There
has to be further investigation into the actual
gravesite."
Police believe the grave is that of an 11-year-old boy who died
in 1921. Preliminary reports indicate it was part of a 19th-century
veterans cemetery, Chomiak said. While residents in the area knew
of the cemetery's existence, it did not appear to be
maintained.
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