MAPLE VALLEY, Wash. — Hundreds of dollars worth of plants stolen from a newly-landscaped roundabout near Tahoma High School have put city leaders in Maple Valley on alert.
According to city manager Laura Philpot, this is something the city has been dealing with for the last couple of years on other city properties as well.
City staff invested $120,000 in security at Lake Wilderness Park where plants were stolen just a month ago, according to Philpot.
She said the thefts are impacting the entire community.
"You come out here in the middle of the afternoon and our playground is packed," she said. "You come out in the evenings, and the fields are already being used for sports. I mean, it really is such a great asset and amenity for this community and this gateway is so beautiful coming into it," said Philpot looking over at the roundabout. "So when they take from it, I mean, they are just taking a piece of that away and, again, they are stealing from everybody."
Philpot estimates that at least $600 worth of plants were stolen from this new roundabout near the high school.
A weeping cedar tree was stolen along with a handful of other plants.
It is unclear whether the string of plant thefts are all connected, but Philpot suspects whoever stole from the new roundabout is someone who knew the value of the plants they stole.
"I just hope that people are paying attention and that they do get caught because I don't think it's right and they know it's not right," said Philpot. "They're doing it in the middle of the night so I would hope that they would stop and be more ethical."
Police are taking these plant thefts seriously, according to a spokesperson with the King County Sheriff's Office.
Depending on the value of what is stolen and the damage left behind, whoever is responsible could face up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.