It wasn’t a day of rest for Steward of Sadleir House, Dwayne Collins, Sunday September 22.
Collins arrived at work to find a surprise waiting for him: one of his recently planted shrubs had been uplifted and removed from the property.
The only trace of the abducted greenery was a large hole and much dirt, which trailed down the street.
Another attempted shrub robbery was evident not far from the first, but the cultprits did not succeed in the extraction, leaving it dishevelled and at a 45 degree angle from the ground.
Collins was shocked when he found out; reports have come in that he was heard yelling “Someone stole my shrub!” several times while pacing on the lawn.
The stolen shrub was one of 27 recently planted as part of a landscaping project for the historically designated house. The project was completed in anticipation of the 2013-14 school year.
Collins attempted to look for the shrub, but it was not left on the property.
A trail of dirt that had fallen from the uplifted plant stopped just a few blocks north of the house on George St., proving to be another dead end.
The second defaced shrub has been corrected, watered, and is in stable condition. Collins expects it to make a full recovery.
This is the second string of vandalism the property has faced since the landscaping was undertaken. On September 10 Collins discovered skull shaped graffiti sprayed onto a newly installed pillar.
Anyone with information on either of these crimes is encouraged to contact either Sadleir House or Arthur.
Update: At about 5:45pm Monday September 23 the missing shrub was found by Collins in the ditch behind Sadleir House, next to the Rotary Greenway Trail. After informing Arthur, Collins went to work replanting the small tree. It is now upright and repatriated. However, he is unsure if it will survive due to a substantial loss of dirt.
