The patio and staircase constructed out of veteran headstones has been officially removed by Ozark County sheriff deputies and members of the local fire department. The stones will be buried on county property in a special ceremony featuring the veterans’ honor guard.

No charges will be brought against the homeowner used the stones or the monument company that made them.

Navy veteran Ed Harkreader blew the whistle on a Missouri home that used veteran gravemarkers to build a patio last week in an impassioned Facebook post. As the story gained momentum, Harkreader got in contact with the homeowner and investigated the origin of the stones.

The stones were defective grave markers that were thrown away after Chaney Monument Co., their manufacturer, went out of business ten years ago. The Department of Veterans Affairs was never charged for them, and since the stones were broken or contained typos, they were never shipped out of Missouri or placed in a cemetery. It is official federal policy for defective and broken grave markers to be destroyed.

The discarded grave markers were discovered by a nearby homeowner, who has been kept anonymous by Harkreader and the media. Ignorant to the significance of the stones, the homeowner used them to build a patio and shallow staircase in the backyard of his home.The man in question appeared on the radio to announce that he would remove the stones as soon as possible.

Harkreader wrote on Facebook that the property owner was the son of a veteran and had a mental disability.

“The individual involved seems to have limited mental capabilities and did not understand the significance that the markers represent,” Harkreader said. “His father was a Veteran before his death and there was no malicious intent. The individual stated that he would even help remove the stone markers with help (he physically isn’t able to do the job by himself). Folks I felt bad for the guy, he’s in the middle of a bad situation that isn’t entirely his fault.”

On Monday, Ozark County Sheriff Darrin Reed agreed that the homeowner’s actions were not motivated by ill will.

“The guy used poor judgment and taste,” Reed said. “He kept apologizing to us. He’s a very simple sort, and he told me he didn’t think the thing through.”

Harkreader and other locals are helping the homeowner replace his patio through donations and fundraising.