Man who vandalized more than 100 gravestones at Jewish cemetery in Missouri gets probation

A man who toppled more than 100 gravestones at a Jewish cemetery near St. Louis was sentenced to three years of probation.

Alzado Harris avoided jail time for the crime, receiving a three-year probation sentence Thursday, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He also was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution and complete an anger management course.

While the incident took place in February 2017, Harris was not arrested until more than a year later when investigators matched his DNA with DNA on a jacket found at the Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery.

Harris admitted to the crime, telling police he was drunk and high at the time. Prosecutors concluded Harris’s actions were not anti-Semitic in nature.

Police at the time also said there was no evidence to indicate the crime was racially or religiously motivated.

The incident drew national attention, even prompting a visit from Vice President Pence, who praised volunteers who were cleaning up the damage.

The Post-Dispatch reports the vandalized cemetery was rededicated last August after repairs were made and security measures were added.