Police Investigate Theft From Slain Michigan Soldier's Monument

CEDAR SPRINGS, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - Authorities in western Michigan are investigating a string of larcenies and vandalism that include the theft of a replica rifle, helmet and dog tags from a monument commemorating a local soldier killed in Iraq.

The Kent County Sheriff's Office said Monday that the items were taken from the Timothy Brown monument at Memorial Park in Cedar Springs, northeast of Grand Rapids.

The military has said 23-year-old Army Spc. Timothy Brown of Cedar Springs, was killed Nov. 4, 2005 by a roadside bomb while checking for explosives around the Humvee in which he and four other soldiers were riding.

Sheriff's officials say funding for the monument was raised by the community.

In 2013, Brown's grave marker and several others at a cemetery in Nelson Township were damaged by vandals.

Detectives are also looking for suspects in a rash of car break-ins in the Cedar Springs area as well as a burglary at the Skinner Field concession stand. Security camera photos of suspects in the latter crime were posted on the sheriff's office Facebook page, with the note that investigators are "not definitively" saying any of these crimes are connected.

SilentObserver is offering a cash reward for tips leading to an arrest and conviction in these cases. Anyone who may have information about any of these incidents is asked to call 616-774-2345. As always, tipsters to SilentObserver may remain anonymous.

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