Report: Graves Disturbed, Debris Dumped at Veterans Cemetery

American flags dumped in the mud, tires discarded in a pit: Those are some of the problems the Maryland Department of Veteran’s Affairs is investigating at the Cheltenham Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Prince George’s County, reports WUSA9.

The cemetery, where some 20,000 veterans are said to be buried, is under scrutiny after workers disturbed at least 56 graves when a tractor got stuck in the mud, the TV station says. Photos of the incident circulated on social media and sparked outrage.

This week the TV station shot footage of tires and plastic waste dumped in open pits in a maintenance area at the cemetery. A trailer and landscaping equipment appeared to be abandoned in the woods. A small American flag was found in the mud by a waste pit.

State Veteran's Affairs spokesperson Dana Hendrickson told the TV station that a contractor working on improvements to the cemetery was recently terminated. She blamed the problems on the transition.

Watch the full story on WUSA9’s website.