Again, Wisconsin. Go figure.
Woman sentenced for exhuming lover's ashesTuesday, March 1, 2005 Posted: 9:00 AM EST (1400 GMT)
SHEBOYGAN, Wisconsin (AP) -- A woman accused of digging up and taking her boyfriend's cremated remains more than a decade ago -- and drinking the beer that was buried with them -- was sentenced to 60 days in jail.
Karen Stolzmann, 44, had faced up to nine months in jail on a misdemeanor charge of concealing stolen property. She was sentenced Monday, Sheboygan County District Attorney Joe DeCecco said.
DeCecco had recommended a six-month sentence.
"I kind of thought she should be punished more," he said. "Under these kinds of circumstances, this is just unexcusable."
Investigators accused Stolzmann of digging up the ashes of her former boyfriend, Michael Hendrickson, at a Columbia County cemetery possibly out of spite for his family.
Hendrickson was 27 when he died in 1992 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His relatives contacted authorities last fall after discovering his remains were stolen.
Beer and cigarettes buried with him also were missing.
Investigators were led to Stolzmann, who had lived with Hendrickson and was with him when he shot himself. Both were married to other people at the time.
Detectives searched Stolzmann's home, found her hiding in the shower and located the remains in her garage, authorities said.
Stolzmann also was ordered to pay restitution for metal plaques missing from Hendrickson's grave site, DeCecco said.
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