Deputies calm Roswell cemetery dispute

ROSWELL, N.M. (KRQE-KBIM) - A cemetery owner who says he can't afford to maintain the property made good on past threats Friday when he began ripping out the landscaping drawing both angry relatives and Chaves County sheriff's deputies.

Relatives of people who are buried there raced to Memorial Lawn Memorial Park Friday morning to stop owner Allen Drake.

"We got word this morning that Mr. Drake was out here with his backhoe and was pulling up shrubs and trees, destroying the cemetery like he had threatened to do," said Jan Kathy, who has family members and friends buried at the cemetery. "We just are wanting very much for something to happen that will restore this cemetery to the way it should be taken care of."

According to Drake the cemetery has left him financially strapped with no money to maintain the landscaping.

"He should have known what kind of business he was in,” said Jack Ferguson, who is heading a group of concerned citizens called Rescue Memorial Lawn. "It’s terrible that a guy wants to take advantage on the dead people like this.

Tensions were so high at the cemetery deputies were called to control the crowd and defuse the situation.

“Anytime they think their loved ones aren’t being treated with dignity, that’s going to cause a serious issue,” sheriff's Lt. Britt Snyder said.

Deputies convinced Drake to stop uprooting the landscape and then had some advice for the angry crowd.

"We've suggested that the property owners that own a lot of the plots out here try and get an injunction through the District Court,” Snyder said.

The Rescue Memorial Lawn Group said several veterans have already started to do that over what they considered to be poor maintenance of some veterans' graves.

“It’s a very heartbreaking situation," Kathy said. "We hope something will be done, that people will be aware of what’s happening and more and more people will stand up and say this cannot continue the way that it has been."

This all comes a few weeks after Drake posted no-trespassing sings near all cemetery entrances restricting the grounds to foot traffic.

The rescue group said it's hoping something happens soon to save the cemetery before it looks like a desert.

Drake is also facing some legal trouble from one family who sued Drake claiming he destroyed their mother's casket by dumping rocks on top of it. Drake has denied the allegation.