Grave robber gets five-year prison term

A Chicago man was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison for robbing dozens of grave sites in an Oakbrook Terrace cemetery.

Ervin Callicut received the prison term after he admitted pilfering 67 bronze and copper vases Sept. 27 from Chapel Hill Cemetery.

Authorities said Callicut, 51, and a co-defendant, Louis H. Cortez, 25, of Berwyn, planned to sell the material for scrap value. Cortez received a 30-month probation term after entering a similar guilty plea Feb. 25.

An Illinois State Police trooper uncovered the scheme Sept. 27 when he stopped the men in a stolen car after they pulled out of the cemetery. The trooper discovered the stolen loot during the traffic stop, according to reports.

Authorities said the stolen vases were valued at about $8,000 and were used to display flowers at grave sites. Callicut received a lengthier prison term because of his extensive criminal history, which included several stints in prison for armed robbery, aggravated battery to a police officer, burglary and retail theft.