Plant Thief Caught Fleecing Flowers from City Parks
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| It's the thought that counts |
Let's just say it's not your garden-variety crime.
"It's kinda random," Officer Harry Soulette says with a hearty chuckle. "But there may be a whole bunch of reasons for it: revenge, obsession, maybe he collects plants, or maybe there's some mental health issues."
The thief didn't leave much room for guesswork. Shortly after the cops stopped the man on the 200 block of Melrose Avenue in Glen Park, he confessed to unearthing the plants and flowers, including sage and princess flowers. He also produced a dirty hammer, which he said he used to dig up the plants.
The man even told police why he was doing it. However, Soulette wouldn't share that information, because police are still investigating whether he was the same person who has been pilfering plants from parks on the west side of town over the last few weeks, including McLaren Park and Sunnyside Park.
"This has been going on for a while," Soulette said. "I'm not saying he's the suspect."
Surely, the crime has done nothing but frustrate the already broke Recreation and Parks Department, which is responsible for maintaining the city parks. We called to ask how officials there felt about cops potentially nabbing a suspect. No word back yet.
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