MERCER ISLAND, Wash. — Mercer Island police are investigating a very unusual crime.
They believe someone poisoned the soil on city-owned property, causing vegetation in the area to die.
"I understand people get bored just doing stupid things,” Gary Chang said. “But this is beyond stupid."
Neighbors like Chang are dumbfounded. The open space on the corner of Island Crest Way and Southeast 40th Street once lively and green, is now orange and brown filled with dead plants and trees.
"I get that people do graffiti or different things,” Chang said. “But I don't get why they would try to kill plants.”
The City of Mercer Island posted Friday about the strange situation on Facebook saying city crews are trying to get to the bottom of what happened. A soil test identified high levels of herbicides, but officials said the city did not apply them. Now they're suspecting intentional vandalism.
"Find better things to do,” Chang said. “Why are you doing this? This is vandalism, it's a crime."
The city said the herbicides could have been added within the last four months, a crime that could be a felony. The uncertainty is leaving neighbors on edge.
"I do worry,” Chang said. “For example, I heard it's high concentration herbicide, does that pollute my land? So far, I haven't seen any… It scares me."
These concerns are also being echoed by Mercer Island city councilmember Craig Reynolds. He posted on his Facebook saying, "This makes me really angry. A senseless action that detracts from the beauty of our island, costs islanders’ money and harms the environment."
“It's baffling,” Chang said. “I don't know who would want to do that honestly."
KING 5 reached out to the city and the Mercer Island Police Department. But both entities declined an interview on Wednesday.