Thieves Take Trees, Pots from SF City Hall

Santa Fe Police are hot on the trail – of potting soil – left by thieves who took several hundred dollars worth of shrubs, trees and pots from City Hall.

“They were removed with the intenet of either selling them or planting them somewhere else. This is not just vandalism. This is theft,” Santa Fe Parks Director Fabian Chavez said.

The incident occurred sometime between 11:30 p.m. Wednesday night and 7 a.m. Thursday morning, according to police. The city’s horticulturist noticed the missing plants and pots when he arrived to work early Thursday.

Chavez said the thieves – he suspects there was more than one individual involved – stole 4 ornamental trees, including a Weeping Cypress and Dwarf Alberta Spruce, 2 or 3 shrubs, two large planted flower containers and two large, blue ceramic pots with flowers.

Chavez said “it looks like somebody was doing was doing a patio for somebody because they took really specific stuff.”

“I think it was someone who knew what they were doing, because of the way the stuff was dug up with a spade,” he said.

Altogether, just over $700 worth of materials was taken.

Several of the items had actually been dug out of the ground, he said. All the items were part of City Hall’s permanent landscaping.

Police are seeking surveillance tapes from nearby businesses. It’s especially hoped that recordings from bar and nightclub Rouge Club, located across the street from City Hall, will yield some clues about the crime. Police found a trail of soil between the two buildings.