Suspected ornament thief nabbed
By Steve Irsay, Court TV
HILLSBORO, Ore. (Court TV) —
The gnome-napping nightmare is
over. Authorities believe they have finally solved the case of the
prolific lawn ornament lifter who has tormented Washington and Clackamas
counties for more than a year. Kimberly Rae Baker-Bundy, 49,
surrendered to authorities earlier this month when a warrant was issued for
her arrest following a missed court appearance. Baker-Bundy is
suspected of stealing numerous lawn items such as birdhouses, gargoyles,
gnomes, wind chimes and doormats. She is charged with 14 counts of
second-degree theft and 11 counts of third-degree theft. The lawn
larceny case began unfolding in late 2002 when investigators noticed an
increasing number of police reports detailing random thefts of lawn
ornaments and other outdoor items, police said. Cops got a break in the
curious case just before Christmas when a couple spied a woman carrying what
appeared to be items from their backyard. The suspected garden grabber,
believed to be Baker-Bundy, got away but not before the couple copied down
her license plate number. Police obtained a warrant to search
Barker-Bundy's residence and allegedly found a treasure trove of
lawn-related items. In what police described as a lawn-ornament "chop shop,"
Baker-Bundy was allegedly in the process of repainting many of the items,
possibly for resale. The process of putting the case together was
time-consuming, police said, because of the difficulty of matching specific
items recovered from Baker-Bundy's home to those reported missing from area
homes. Baker-Bundy is due back in Washington County Circuit Court on
April 2.
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