Woman feels "violated" after her fake 18-foot palm tree is stolen

[matcom]

<snip>


HARRISON - How hard can this be? A bright yellow, fully illuminated coconut palm tree gets stolen from Beverly and Nicholas Maxfield's front yard and police investigators so far are, how shall we say . . . stumped?

"To me, it's got to be a prank," Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion said Wednesday. "There's no black market in simulated palm trees - at least I don't think there is."

This much we know: Early Monday morning, as a coastal storm pounded Maine and the Maxfields slept inside their perennially tropical home on Naples Road, a pack of thieves backed a truck up into the front yard, broke out their tools and got to work.

By dawn, the 18-foot palm tree - the crowning touch to Beverly Maxfield's eclectic collection of all things Florida - was gone. And Beverly was fuming.

"I just feel so violated," she said, looking out at the three anchor bolts and the cluster of electrical wires still sprouting from the small cement slab. "I can't believe someone would do something like this."

She is, by her own admission, not your typical Mainer. The stained-glass window on her front door features a palm tree. So does the screen saver on her computer. The bird feeder outside the kitchen door resembles a pink flamingo. The license plates on the family's two cars read "LARGOFL" and "FLORIDA."

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/nemitz/041201nemitz.shtml

[motely36]

1. Wow, violated by an 18 foot palm tree

better her than me :evilgrin:

[Demeter]

2. May Nothing Worse Happen To You

Like crashing economy, soaring AIDS, stolen elections, the destruction of the American experiment, and the Rapture.

People are so shallow.

[underpants]

3. Anyone want to bet she has one of those mirro balls in the yard?

Bank it.

[Historic NY]

5. No, no, no, she has to have pink flamingos !! Its traditional.

[underpants]

6. Oh I'd bet she has both

and lots of other crap too

[Cush]

7. don't forget the garden gnomes

[motely36]

10. Hey wait a second

I have pink flamingos in my yard!

[Fenris]

4. "Hey Griswold! Where are you gonna put a tree that big?"

"Bend over and I'll show you."

[realisticphish]

8. actually

I run the midwestern fake palm tree black market. i dont know who runs the New England branch, but i'll try to find out


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[damntexdem]

9. Yeah, I always feel violated when that happens to me.

Failure to count my vote -- that I can take in stride. But swipe my fake palm tree -- ooh!

[democracy eh]

11. No Pictures!!

I am horribly dissapointed