SACO, Maine — A former funeral home employee will serve three months in prison for stealing wedding and engagement rings from the body of a 102-year-old woman and selling them at a pawn shop.
Stuart C. Weston, 51, of Sanford was sentenced for felony theft in York County Superior Court, Deputy Chief Corey Huntress of the Saco Police Department said Wednesday.
Weston was working for the Autumn Green Funeral Home in Alfred on Jan. 21, 2021, when he was called to Seal Rock Healthcare in Saco to help with funeral arrangements for Laura Wood.
Wood's daughter, Sally Wood, told NEWS CENTER Maine at the time that while grieving the loss of her mother, she discovered the funeral home didn't have her mother's diamond ring or wedding bands.
"I was upset," she said at the time. "That's my mother and father in that ring. It's not just the financial part it's the sentimental value. They were going to be passed onto my kids."
Sally Wood posted a picture on social media and started checking pawn shops. She found them at Maine Gold and Silver in South Portland.
"By the grace of God they had the ring," she said. "Unbelievable. I never thought I would see it again."
Maine Gold and Silver had security footage and information on the man who sold the ring.
"Through records and video, we were able to identify a suspect and obtain a warrant for that person's arrest," Huntress said in February 2021.
Weston was arrested. According to court documents, the nurse manager at Seal Rock told police there were five rings on Laura Wood's hands when her body was released to Weston.
The Autumn Green Funeral Home said through its attorney at the time that Weston had been fired.
The rings were recovered and returned to the family, according to Huntress.
Weston will begin serving his sentence at York County Jail on June 1, 2022.