Mahoning Township Police continue to investigate the theft of veteran markers from a church cemetery.

Police said 30 markers were reported stolen on June 1 from St. John's Lutheran Church on Mahoning Drive West.Efforts to reach township police this morning for further comment were unsuccessful.Contacted this morning, Henry Desrosiers, Carbon County Director of Veterans Affairs, expressed his frustration with the act."I am highly disappointed," Desrosiers said. "It's a disgusting act of stealing flag markers from veterans who are deceased from our county cemeteries."Desrosiers said the wartime markers will be replaced once the service periods are identified.In the meantime, Desrosiers urged anyone with knowledge of the crime to properly report it to the local authorities, or make an anonymous call to his office at 570-325-3986."I would love to see the perpetrator or perpetrators caught and prosecuted," he said.Anyone with information is asked to contact Mahoning Township Police at 570-386-2241.Markers from veterans graves are often stolen because they can be melted down for quick cash.Ping Zhou, owner of Great Metal Recycling in Walnutport, said the current cost for copper is about $2 per pound.Other metals bring in lower prices.