Vandals Take Joy Of Gardening From Tulsa Woman

By Lori Fullbright, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Vandals do more than destroy property, they steal's a woman's joy.  The vandals hit so often, the victim got sick of it and put up a hidden camera. 

Gail Kraft is a woman who works hard and takes care of her disabled adult son.  Her big joy, her therapy, if you will, is to work in her yard, build ponds, plant flowers and put up statutes.  But, whoever keeps destroying her work has made her feel like it's just not worth it anymore.

Gail Kraft's mother calls her a frustrated farmer because she loves planting and growing things, mostly trees and flowers.

A picture of her flower bed last year shows tulips surrounding a Grecian pot with a rooster perched on top.  But, vandals knocked down that statue four times last year, each time, trampling her flowers.

"We put a steel rod up the middle of it. They pushed it down and bent the rod. I got that 2,000 pound epoxy and expoxied it down. On their last time, you can see in the video where they're trying to shove it over.  They had some trouble," said Gail Kraft.

The most recent assault on her lawn was Thursday night and this time Gail caught the vandals on tape after hooking up a tiny camera in her front yard.

The video is dark, but you can see the suspect knocking over the rooster and pot.  Kraft believes the culprit is a teenage boy.

"I think the parents will recognize him if they see this," said Gail Kraft.

She believes the same teenage boy stole her one of a kind gazing ball, too.  Kraft has filed police reports, but short of catching the suspect in the act, there's not much officers can do.

"I asked them if I could booby trap it and they said, no, it's a felony. I asked what happens to him if you do catch him and they said a $150 fine," said Gail Kraft.

This year, Kraft hasn't had the heart to spend the time, money and effort to work in her flower beds because each time she has to get out the truck to put the statute back in place, it just doesn't seem worth it.

"It kinda makes me throw my hands up and give up," said Gail Kraft.

Kraft hopes someone who knows the vandal recognizes him and turns him in.  Maybe then, she'll be re-inspired to make her yard beautiful again.