Michael Bennett
OAKFIELD — A Houlton man has been hit with misdemeanor charges after allegedly vandalizing a cemetery in Oakfield last weekend.
Michael Bennett, 24, has been charged with criminal mischief and criminal trespass, according to a news release issued Thursday by Aroostook County Sheriff Darrell Crandall.
Bennett drove onto the grounds of the Oakfield Cemetery on South Oakfield Road over the weekend, the sheriff said.
“The ground is very torn up by him spinning his tires in there,” Crandall said. “But the ground is still snow covered so we really cannot tell the extent of the damage that he did do, so we are waiting for the the town to tell us.”
The sheriff said the charges could be more serious if the damages rise above a specific amount. Crandall did not specify what that amount was.
Bennett was convicted of assault on an officer in 2013 and burglary in 2016. He was out on probation when charged with the latest offenses.
He was sentenced to 30 months in prison, with all but eight months suspended, for the 2013 conviction, and to five years, all suspended, in the 2016 case.
Crandall said that people responding to the department’s request for tips about the cemetery vandalism helped lead to the charges against Bennett.
“We thank those who reached out,” he said.
