A woman at the centre of an incident where thousands of dollars of damage was done to headstones at several local cemeteries was given a one-year conditional sentence and two years probation on Wednesday.
In October and November of 2021, several tombstones were spray-painted at cemeteries including Elmwood, St. James, Calvary, Mount Zion and St. George’s.
The total cost to clean up the damage was $72,000.
In January 2023, Ontario Provincial Police charged 21-year-old Megan Lee, known as Wild, with several charges of mischief.
Wild pleaded guilty before Justice Hunter in May.
At sentencing, the crown was seeking a two-year conditional sentence with two years of probation. The defense sought a six to nine month conditional sentence followed by probation for terms of community service.
Ultimately, Justice Stephen Hunter sentenced Wild to a one-year conditional sentence and two years probation.
The first half of the conditional sentence would be house arrest, the second half would be a mandatory curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Wild will also not be allowed to be on the premises of any of the cemeteries affected, unless authorized, for probation.
The judge acknowledged the significant mental health struggles that Wild was facing and that treatment for those issues were being sought.
He also said he felt that Wild showed genuine remorse for her actions and believed that she had no intent to harm anyone but said her actions ultimately harmed the community.
One hundred twenty hours of community service was also laid.
Justice Hunter said he felt it would be appropriate for Wild to do some of the work at the cemeteries but said he would leave that to the cemetery board to approve.
The judge said if any of the conditions are breached, Wild would be brought back to the court and be sent to jail.
