Monterey man facing felony vandalism, defacing gravesite charges

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION) A Monterey man is charged with felony vandalism and defacing a gravesite in connection to an incident at a storage yard.

Wednesday morning, police were called to the storage yard next to the San Carlos Cemetery for a report of vandalism. Officers said three tractors there had multiple windows shattered, and they believe rocks found inside were used to break the windows.

A gravesite near the cemetery with a rock border had rocks missing, according to police.

An estimated $30,000 worth of damage was done to the tractors.

Officers identified 40-year-old Benson Shelton as the suspect. He was arrested and booked into the Monterey City Jail, but because of the emergency bail schedule in place, his bail was set at $0. He was released on bail.

Police do not know the motive behind the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Lieutenant Ethan Andrews at 831-646-3822.