ASHTABULA, Ohio — About 30 to 35 flag holders meant to honor veterans from the Civil War to the present have been stolen from Veterans Memorial Park on Main Avenue in Ashtabula.
During a recent city council meeting, local leaders estimate the flag holders went missing sometime during August.
Watch the story here:
Markers covering the Civil War, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR/Civil War), WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, the Global War on Terrorism and Veteran Markers are said to be missing.
"These items are more than pieces of metal or park fixtures," Tim Dibble, secretary of the Ashtabula Parks & Recreation Board, told council on Sept. 8. "They represent generations of American military and Ashtabula military service and are part of the memorial character at Veterans Park."
Similar flag markers at the adjacent Lance Corporal Kevin M. Cornelius Park were not taken, Dibble said.
Dibble added that two years ago, Veterans Memorial Park also dealt with vandalism, which led to the arrest and prosecution of one individual.
The theft comes as Ashtabula is in the midst of a multimillion-dollar project to beautify its downtown along Main Avenue.
Learn more about that project from our June 2026 story here:
As the city prepares to add cameras to its cleaned-up downtown, officials are also looking at adding cameras to Veterans Memorial Park and the adjacent Lance Corporal Kevin M. Cornelius Park.
"It is unfortunate, with all the improvements we have made on Main Avenue as well as upgrades in both Veterans Park and Lance CPL Kevin Cornelius Memorial Park, that someone did this," City Manager Jim Timonere told News 5. "Our veterans in the community provide programming in Veterans Park as well as donations to ensure this memorial will be around for generations to come, and so we never forget the sacrifices made by locals in our military."
If anyone has information on this, they're asked to call the Ashtabula Police Department at 440-992-7172.
Clay LePard is the Ashtabula, Geauga and Portage counties reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X @ClayLePard, on Facebook ClayLePardTV or email him at Clay.LePard@wews.com.
