“But why? What’s the point?” Lakewood residents are fed up with yard theft

LAKEWOOD, Ohio – Police are searching for the person who stole garden items and Little Free Libraries in Lakewood and say they have seen an increase in thefts.

Last month we told you about cleaning up the Little Free Libraries.

Lakewood residents are stunned and frustrated by petty free library thefts

RELATED: Lakewood residents are stunned and frustrated by petty free library thefts

Now they’re targeting garden items, including a bench and a woman’s fairy garden.

According to Danielle Antosz, who owns a fairy garden, a fairy garden is meant to be a whimsical place that inspires curiosity and conveys magical happiness.

“There are just so many bad things happening in the world and something so small that it makes people smile. “The kids like to come and look at it… it makes me happy, like it’s just supposed to bring joy,” Antosz said.

Earlier this week someone decided to get this out of their front yard.

“We had a dinosaur that ate dwarves… and they took that. They took a rabbit with them. I honestly lost track of all the stuff they took, but three or four of the larger items,” Antosz said.

Antosz’s garden used to have several large pieces. Now only small decorations remain. She had a message for the person in charge.

“But why? What’s the point? I hope it was worth it. I hope you stub your toe on everything,” Danielle said.

This isn’t the first theft in Lakewood.

In August, the Little Free Libraries – including Antosz’s – were cleaned up. News 5 spoke with a man whose entire library was stolen. After he replaced them, they returned and took his bench.

“It seems to me like a lot of times perpetrators are walking around, seeing things in people’s yards and just going up and taking them,” said Lakewood Police Capt. Gary Stone.

Stone says they’ve seen an increase in yard thefts recently.

“Some of this seems like theft, where the person can sell some of these things for money at a later date. It can also be young people who dare and do things like that,” said Stone.

The department is increasing patrols and keeping an eye out for people walking around with suspicious items to prevent thefts.

Antosz is still shocked that someone would do something like that.

“Honestly, it broke my heart. I know it’s a small thing, but it’s not. There is no value,” Antosz said.

She posted about the theft on Facebook, to which the community reacted with outrage. People began donating items to bring their enchanted space back to life.

“People have been coming over all week, which makes me really happy,” Antosz said.

She has transformed her garden by installing cameras to protect her garden. She stamped the covers of the books in her Little Free Library and crossed out the barcodes so they couldn’t be resold.

Police say it’s a good idea to conduct surveillance, keep an eye on your garden plots and report any theft to the police.