Police: Green-Thumb Bandit Strikes Local Homeowner

You never know what will catch the eye — and fancy — of thieves.

A Mauldin woman told police last week that someone came onto her property on Adams Mill Road and stole several houseplants and backyard statuary worth an estimated $875, an incident report said.

The woman, who said she is in the process of moving, told police she had set several house plants outside on her front porch. When she came back to retrieve them and take them to their new home, she noticed that the plants were gone, the report said.

In addition to the plants, which included five Christmas cacti and three, regular potted plants, the woman also said the thief took off with two flower pots and, most interestingly, a "tall cement lady water statue," the report stated.

The bandit may have a hard time displaying the statue, however. The heavy yard decor is assembled in pieces and the alleged thief left the statue's base behind, the report said.

Apparently, the alleged bandit is a niche thief. A walk-through of the residence revealed that the home itself was not burgled.