Bradley W. Bloch (Winnebago Co. Jail)
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – An Oct. 6 trial date was scheduled Wednesday for Bradley Bloch, who allegedly stole and resold six historic cast iron cross gravestone markers from a Fox Crossing cemetery.
Bloch, 59, faces one count of theft of movable property.
An Aug. 31 hearing was set for a possible plea hearing, if the case is resolved before trial.
The investigation into Bloch began May 12, 2025, when the St. Patrick’s Cemetery groundskeeper reported multiple grave markers, each estimated to be approximately 150 years old, had been stolen.
Shortly after being assigned to the case, Detective Jeremiah Gustafson discovered one of the stolen crosses listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace in the town of Lamartine.
A visit to the residence led to the recovery of one cross displayed in the front yard.
Although the primary resident was not home, investigators determined the stolen marker was most likely acquired by the resident’s father, identified as Bloch.
Gustafson found that Bloch’s vehicle was seen in close proximity to St. Patrick’s Cemetery on Green Bay Road May 9, which is within the timeframe the most recent theft occurred.
Despite being presented with this information, Bloch denied ever being in the Neenah area, claiming instead that he was in Ripon and that his vehicle remained in his garage.
Further investigation using cellular location data confirmed that Bloch’s phone was in the immediate vicinity of the cemetery at the same time as his vehicle.
Over the course of the investigation, Gustafson uncovered that six crosses had been stolen, in total. Each measured approximately four feet tall, three feet wide and weighed close to 100 pounds.
In June 2025, one cross appeared on eBay and was traced to a buyer in DeKalb, Illinois, who confirmed purchasing it from Bloch. Other online sales were tracked to buyers in Kewaunee and Waupun.
In Kewaunee, Gustafson recovered three stolen crosses from one residence. In Waupun, the sixth and final cross was recovered from another buyer, who claimed Bloch told them the marker was “set to be replaced.”
The investigation revealed that Bloch used Facebook to arrange multiple sales, instructing buyers to pick up the items from an address in Oakfield.
“They’ve been here 165 years, and to have somebody come and pick up six of them, that’s kind of a big deal,” said Peter Krautkramer, the St. Patrick’s Cemetery coordinator and sexton.
The markers were molded at the old Menasha foundry in the 1800s.
“We take the responsibility to preserve the dignity of the people that are buried here very seriously,” Krautkramer said. “And when a stone like this goes missing, it takes away from the cemetery, takes away from the person buried here.”
The gravestones haven’t yet been returned to the cemetery, but Officer Dan Wiechman with the Fox Crossing Police Department said it is working to get them returned as soon as possible.
“Maybe make a request to the DA, see if they need them for the actual case if it goes to trial. If they don’t feel that they are needed, we’ve documented them through photographs and other means. Maybe these can be returned to the cemetery sooner rather than later,” he explained.
Krautkramer added it’s important to have the markers back where they belong.
“Their family members, descendants, even though it may be three or four generations removed, can’t come back and visit these graves if there’s nothing here to visit,” he said.
Replacement estimates for each marker ranged from $10,000 to $15,000, with some estimates noting that the cost could be even higher due to the historic nature of the items.
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