MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. — Thieves ripped out and stole more than $1,000 worth of plants and trees from the Lake Wilderness Arboretum in Maple Valley.
The thefts happened over a two week period and have volunteers upset. To add insult to injury, one of the plants stolen was a Japenese Maple recently planted to celebrate the public garden's 50th anniversary.
The arboretum only has two employees the rest of the work is done by volunteers. Now there are holes in the ground and signs for plants that no longer exist.
The garden spans 42 acres, and while there are some surveillance cameras, there are not enough to cover the entire public area.
Volunteers think a landscaper is likely stealing the plants and planting them somewhere else.
Volunteers say the thieves ripped the plants and tree out of the ground, damaging the roots. The gardeners say the hot weather is very hard on transplanted trees and plants.
KIRO 7's Alison Grande got a look at the damage to the public garden and talked to volunteers. She is putting that story together for KIRO 7 Eyewitness News at 5:30 p.m.
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