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Resident urges clearer cemetery rules after sheriff's report on gopher-shooting incident
Summary
A resident read a sheriff's incident report describing a Memorial Day shooting of gophers at Scowee Cemetery and said enforcement is limited until the cemetery board or commissioners adopt a rule; the sheriff's office report recommended the board consider rules and noted redacted names in the report.
During the public-comment period, John Lybrand read portions of a Daniels County Sheriff's Office incident report about a Memorial Day event at Scowee Cemetery in which a person shot gophers in proximity to others.
Lybrand recited the sheriff's narrative and quoted the office: "Until a rule is made by the cemetery board or the commissioners in regards to what can and cannot happen at the cemetery, there is nothing that our office can do about this." He said he obtained a redacted report and that the sheriff advised that, absent a local rule, the office has limited authority to act on conduct at an unincorporated cemetery outside city limits.
Lybrand urged the board and the cemetery board to consider clear posted rules and enforcement options because the incident raised public-safety concerns. He said he has been contacting other cemeteries to learn common practices; some jurisdictions include explicit signage against discharge, posted hours and caretaker oversight. Commissioners acknowledged the difference between expectation and practice, and asked staff to consider whether the cemetery board's rules and postings are adequate.
The board did not enact new rules at the meeting; the comment served to request follow-up and additional consideration by the cemetery board and commissioners.
