Concord

Concord Woman's Artificial Lawn Stolen From Front Yard

A drought-conscious Concord resident was in shock over the weekend after discovering someone had stolen her artificial lawn.

Sandra Fischer, 79, found out through a call from her neighbor Sunday morning that the artificial grass she recently installed to save water had been ripped right out of her front yard.

"Sick. Just sick over it," Fischer said.

Neighbor Siobhan O'Hara also was outraged. She said Fischer, whose husband died a year ago, was trying to be drought conscious when she spent thousands of dollars to replace her real lawn with low maintenance synthetic turf.

"I'm apalled," O'Hara said. "It's like, good grief, do we not have anything better to do? ... We're very sad, and we're concerned too because if they start taking the grass, what else are they going to take?"

Concord police were stunned too. They said it's the first time the high-priced turf has been targeted, and they hope it's not the start of a trend.

"How low does it go, stealing artificial turf now from a front yard?" Officer Chris Blakely said. "Do you have to lock that down too?"

Police speculated that the thieves intend to resell the artificial grass online or perhaps keep it for themselves.

Fischer wanted to warn others to be on the lookout for lawn thieves. She was still in shock Tuesday: "I couldn't believe it."

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