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Man charged after Chicago-area cemetery thefts

By Will Hager
Published  December 2, 2025 7:06am CST
Wheeling
FOX 32 Chicago
article

Ronald Kathe | Cook County Sheriff's Office

The Brief

    • A man was charged after several bronze vases were stolen from gravesites in Wheeling Township.
    • A tracking device led police to the suspect’s SUV, where officers found multiple vases.
    • He was released on order of protection barring him from returning to any cemetery.

WHEELING, Ill. - A man has been charged with felony theft after several bronze vases were stolen from gravesites at a Wheeling Township cemetery last month.

What we know:

Staff at Shalom Memorial Park reported the thefts around 6 a.m. on Nov. 19 after noticing multiple vases missing. Security footage showed a man tampering with grave markers, and one stolen vase contained a tracking device that later pinged in Lincolnshire, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Lincolnshire police officers found a Ford Expedition in the area and identified the driver as matching the suspect seen on video. Officers said several bronze vases were visible inside the SUV. The driver, identified as Ronald Kathe, was taken into custody.

Sheriff’s police obtained a search warrant and recovered eight bronze vases from the vehicle. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office charged Kathe with one count of theft over $500, a Class 3 felony, on Nov. 20.

A judge ordered him released the following day and barred him from Shalom Memorial and all cemeteries.

The Source: The information in this report came from the Cook County Sheriff's Office.

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