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Man accused of vandalizing hearses at 2 Titusville funeral homes
A 60-year-old man is accused of vandalizing hearses at two Titusville funeral homes, causing thousands of dollars in damage and leaving the businesses scrambling to prepare vehicles for funeral services the following day.
TITUSVILLE, Fla. - A 60-year-old man is accused of vandalizing hearses at two Titusville funeral homes, causing thousands of dollars in damage and leaving the businesses scrambling to prepare vehicles for funeral services the following day.
Police say surveillance footage helped investigators identify the suspect and track him to a nearby motel.
What we know:
Titusville police arrested 60-year-old John Dietsch on Friday morning after investigators said he damaged hearses at North Brevard Funeral Home and Lewis-Ray Mortuary.
Surveillance video from North Brevard Funeral Home shows a man approaching a hearse and slashing its tires, scratching its paint and smashing a window, according to police.
Titusville police say a man vandalized hearses at two funeral homes, causing thousands of dollars in damage.
Investigators said Dietsch also damaged hearses at Lewis-Ray Mortuary. A surveillance image shows the suspect approaching a camera while apparently carrying an ax and a phone.
Police said an ax was later found in Dietsch's vehicle.
Dietsch faces two counts of felony criminal mischief.
The backstory:
Detectives investigating the vandalism believed they recognized Dietsch from a previous case, according to Titusville police.
After identifying him, investigators obtained information about a vehicle registered to Dietsch in New York and entered it into the Flock camera system. Police said the system helped locate his vehicle in the area.
Officers ultimately found Dietsch at a nearby motel Friday morning and arrested him.
Police said the vandalism caused thousands of dollars in damage and created an immediate problem for the funeral homes because the damaged hearses were needed for services the next day.
Both funeral homes declined requests to speak on camera about the case.
What we don't know:
Police have not publicly disclosed a possible motive or explained why the funeral homes and hearses were targeted.
What they're saying:
Authorities also have not said whether Dietsch had any connection to either funeral home.
"It is a little bit of an odd case," Titusville police Sgt. Lauren Watson said. "It's not typically we get people that are targeting funeral homes and hearses."
Watson said the timing of the vandalism created additional challenges for the businesses.
"Unfortunately, they had services that they had to provide the very next day," Watson said. "So they had to be pretty quick on their toes to get those cars back up and running."
Watson said a detective's recognition of the suspect helped investigators quickly develop a lead.
"Once he recognized him, the information on the vehicle then became available to us," Watson said. "It's registered to the suspect out of New York."
Police said anyone with additional information about the case can contact Crimeline anonymously.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the Titusville Police Department.