December 15, 2004
Sidney Avenue residents deal with lawn grinch
15 Dec 2004
By Hilary Maynard
Sidney Avenue resident Fred Chang never expected to wake up Saturday morning and find that the mirrored sphere he keeps in his front yard as a garden accessory had been stolen.
“I was surprised because it was in two pieces,” Chang said of the heavy ball and the ceramic stand on which it stood. According to Chang, the perpetrators of the theft actually came into his gated yard and took the garden ornament.
“I don’t know who the culprits are, but there have definitely been some goings-on on Sidney,” said Chang. Chang reports several of his neighbors have also had things stolen over the years, including trees, rose bushes, sculptures and mailboxes. This problem is not limited to Port Orchard, as many local communities have recently reported holiday displays stolen out of yards.
One Sidney Avenue resident said she has been the victim of theft for years. “I originally had a dozen rosebushes and then I came down one morning and every one had been dug up and taken away,” said Carol Price Gazarek, who lives at the corner of Sidney and Kitsap. Gazarek, who is a great-grandmother has lived in Port Orchard for 13 years and said she bears no ill will toward the perpetrators. “I really feel very sorry for those kinds of people,” Gazarek said.
According to the Port Orchard Police Department’s 2003 Annual Report, there were 96 burglaries reported in the city limits in 2003, down four from 2002. There were also 29 misdemeanor arrests or citations for theft, compared to 50 in 2002. However, the police recovered the stolen property from the suspect only three times.
Port Orchard Police Chief Al Townsend said it is important residents contact the police when they realize their property has been stolen.
“People should report it when it happens,” Townsend said. “If you don’t report it, (the police department) can’t do anything for you.”
© Copyright 2005 Port Orchard Independent