Police nab alleged gnome-napper (running a garden ornament "chop[shop")

The Oregonian ^ | 2/19/04 | Police nab alleged gnome-napper

[mylife]

Police nab alleged gnome-napper

Kimberly Baker-Bundy, whose home was described as a "chop shop" of garden ornaments, is in custody

02/19/04

DANA TIMS

The mystery of the missing garden gnomes may finally have been solved.

Kimberly Rae Baker-Bundy, facing a Washington County Circuit Court theft warrant, turned herself in to the county jail late last week and now faces trial on the charges.

Although the 49-year-old Sherwood resident has not entered a plea, police think she roamed far and wide through Washington and Clackamas counties, perhaps for years, allegedly stealing items not solidly nailed down from area lawns, gardens and backyards.

"I've never seen a case like this," Sherwood police Detective Dwight Onchi said. "She literally had more stuff than you can imagine."

Judge Marco A. Hernandez issued a warrant for Baker-Bundy's arrest after she failed to appear in court for a mandatory Feb. 6 call date.

Sherwood police Officer Jeff Fitzpatrick saw Baker-Bundy in Sherwood the following day, but wasn't able to arrest her because the warrant hadn't been activated, Onchi said. Baker-Bundy then turned herself in to jail authorities on Valentine's Day.

Baker-Bundy was being held at the jail Wednesday on $20,000 security, a jail spokesman said. She is charged with 14 counts of second-degree theft and 11 counts of third-degree theft, Onchi said.

Police began investigating the case in late 2002, when Onchi noticed a trend of police reports describing apparently random thefts of weathered birdhouses, gargoyles, ceramic frogs, signs and numerous other knickknacks.

"I kept saying to various officers, one day, we're going to come up on this whole yard full of ornaments," Onchi said. "And that's just what happened."

The case broke just before Christmas that year, when a Sherwood couple, returning to their residence, saw a woman crossing their lawn carrying what appeared to be items from their backyard. The man tried unsuccessfully to stop her from driving off, but managed to get her license plate number, Onchi said.

The case took so long to put together, he said, due mainly to the difficulty of matching specific items recovered from Baker-Bundy's former residence with photographs of missing lawn items supplied by victims.

By the time police obtained a warrant to search the residence, Onchi said, they found huge piles of doormats, glass baubles, wagon wheels, wind chimes, lawn deer and numerous other items.

Inside the house, Onchi found what he called a lawn-ornament "chop shop." Baker-Bundy, using a special cart placed over metal plating, allegedly was repainting many of the items, perhaps for resale, he said.

"Her favorite colors were black and red," he said. "She was a busy camper, too. The place was so crowded you could barely walk through it."

His department received more than 200 calls in the following days, some from the state of Washington, from people claiming lawn-theft losses.

"I had to tell people, she's not the thief of the world," Onchi said. "It opened up this door of people stealing things all over the place."

[StriperSniper]

They advertise heavily on WABC radio in NYC, so he was my first thought. I haven't heard it in a while, but my favorite is the one with his bath "going all wooshie" and fearing "bubbles up his whoops-a-daisy". ;-)

I just did a quick search to find that and was surprised that they don't have some kind of merchandising going yet.

[Darksheare]

It starts off with gnome knapping.
And then it moves on to the pink flamingos.
And then the Fannie Farmer starts disappearing.
It's terrible.
And then.. THEN the parts and missing lawn statues are reassembled into the SUPER LAWNSTATUE of DOOM.
Beware...
/ joke.

Weird...

[Darksheare]

She's nabbing gnomes?
She must be one of these:

[sweetliberty]

"And then the Fannie Farmer starts disappearing."

Sacrilege!

[Xenalyte]

Apparently, she forgot her hat. But then, she won't be traveling very far for awhile.

[Xenalyte]

My father gave me that book when I was pretty little (probably 7 or 8), and I had nightmares about those kinds of trolls for a LONG time.

I also wanted a gnome home, but that's another thread. Looking back, it was very Ikea-like.

[Xenalyte]

(Cry "Hammock!" and let slip the gerbils of war!)

A few years ago when I played a barbarian, Koolagh, the lone guy in our group (and quite an imposing figure, at six-three and 325 and change), would gather us three women by hollering, "HAVOC!"

[Darksheare]

I remember there was a cartoon on TV once with teh red hatted gnomes, and grandpa gnome was gnome knapped by trolls.
Only saw it once, as it was only aired on broadcast once that I remember, but it stuck with me forever.
Did ALOT of websearching before finding that image of a troll.
*chuckle*

[Xenalyte]

It must have been based on the book. I don't see my big oversized volume . . . I hope it's still packed, and I haven't lost it! That's the first grown-up book I read.

[Darksheare]

*Wincing*
That's mean!
But nothing that a good thumping with a mace wouldn't fix.
*chuckle*

I'm afeared that I come up more in the stats of 'guild thief'.
Five-five and one eighteen sopping wet.

[Darksheare]

Blasphemy against lawns!

[Darksheare]

I haven't seen my book "The trolls and the woodsman" since I was little.
Don't remember the illustrator's name offhand, but the illustrations were somewhat surreal.
There was one troll with a huge hat that had smaller trolls living in it.
They challenged the qoodsman and he told them that he'd do what they asked if they could tie up his cat.
The cat happened to be a polar bear that ended up devouring the trolls.
(Great book for a 5 year old in actuality!)
*chuckle*

The "Trolls & Gnomes" book with the fuzzy faced trolls as in the image posted, I haven't been able to find anywhere.
Nor can I find the video.
*sigh*
Almost as bad as trying to find "Flight of Dragons" somewhere.

[ErnBatavia]

and I had nightmares about those kinds of trolls for a LONG time.

You're not alone...I had a nightmare where THIS troll cruised up and said, "Hi there...new in town?"

[Xenalyte]

AAAAAAAARRRRGH! I'd never sleep again!

[ErnBatavia]

Yep - after that dream I slept like a baby: Up every hour crying...

[babybull77]

hey, it's one thing to liberate gnomes, quite another to take them to your "chop shop" *shudder* i'm glad this crazy lady was caught! and i'm definitely glad that she never crossed paths with any of these gnomes...who knows what would have happened?