(NORFOLK COUNTY, ON) - An officer’s proactive actions led to the arrest of an individual in connection with an incident at a local cemetery.

On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, at approximately 10:26 am, a Norfolk County Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer was conducting a proactive patrol at the Waterford Greenwood Cemetery on Thompson Road East in Waterford, in response to a series of thefts reported at cemeteries throughout the county.

While on the property, the officer observed an individual leave the area in a sedan. The same officer later located the vehicle unoccupied on Wellington Street in Waterford, where a quantity of stolen property, including numerous brass items, was observed inside.

The suspect was later located on Thompson Road West in Waterford and was taken into custody without incident.

As a result, 39-year-old Douglas STEVENS from Oxford County was charged with the following alleged offences:

• Mischief - destroys or damages property, - Possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000 - in Canada, - Theft under $5,000

The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to appear for a bail hearing at the Ontario Court of Justice in Simcoe on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.