Reward offered in desecration of grave case
—Photo by KEITH KINNAIRD A $3,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the conviction of those responsible for the theft of ashes from a niche at Lakeview Cemetery.
SANDPOINT — A $3,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to the conviction of those responsible for the theft of a Bonner County veteran's ashes from Lakeview Cemetery.
The ashes of Leonard Scott were apparently taken on or before June 10, 2014. The granite plate marking the final resting place of Scott had been removed and the brass urn containing the ashes was missing from the niche overlooking the Pend Oreille River.
Scott's sister, Lovern Daniels, said there were suspects initially.
“There was at the very beginning,” Daniels said from her home in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
However, the case has since gone cold and Daniels hopes the offer of a reward will bring her closure help hold those responsible for the desecration of her brother's remains.
Scott, a Vietnam veteran, died in 2013 at the age of 66 due to heart failure which Daniels' family attributes to his exposure to Agent Orange and other defoliants used in the jungle conflict.
Scott was born in Chicago in 1947 and raised in the Canadian province of Manitoba, according to his obituary. He joined the U.S. Air Force in 1964 and attained a degree from California State University in Sacramento following his tour of duty.
He relocated to northern Idaho in the 1970s and developed a reputation for his social work in the community. He worked with mental health clients as a psychosocial rehabilitation provider for ACES Community Services and was an active volunteer for Bonner Community Hospice, where he served as chaplain, respite care provider and camp counselor.
Scott earned the nickname Rose Man due to his success in raising funds for one of the hospice organization's signature campaigns.
Daniels said she has a theory of why her brother's remains were disturbed, but declines to share it publicly due to the pending investigation by Sandpoint Police. Daniels does not believe that the desecration was a random act.
Lakeview purports to have video surveillance equipment on its grounds, but Daniels said no video evidence of the urn's theft has emerged in the investigation.
Those with information about the theft are urged to contact Sandpoint Police at 265-1482 or by calling Bonner Dispatch at 265-5525.