A 40-year-old woman was taken into custody yesterday in relation to a string of bonsai thefts from two garden shops in the New Orleans area. Erica Furguson-Murphy is facing charges of simple burglary of a business after she allegedly targeted Harold's Indoor Outdoor Plants on Nov. 28 and Perino's Home and Garden Center last Monday, as reported by nola.com.
Among the stolen goods were a Lakeview Jasmine and a sizable river birch bonsai. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies, collaborating with NOPD detectives, noticed similar circumstances in the burglaries of both locations, adding merit to the cross-jurisdictional nature of the investigation. In her attempt to purloin these cultivated wonders, Furguson-Murphy was arrested and will be booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center, potentially facing a penalty that could reach up to 12 years in prison and a fine of $2,000, according to WWLTV.
Thefts such as these have set the plant community abuzz, especially after Harold's released surveillance footage showcasing someone loading plants into a Toyota Tacoma. This footage spread quickly through social circles concerned with plant care, raising alarms that the stolen bonsais might surface in the resale market, detailed by Axios. Authorities have not confirmed whether the bonsais were recovered at the time of the arrest.
Nonetheless, as the investigation is ongoing, officials are still piecing together the timeline and methodology employed by Furguson-Murphy in these incidents. No statements have been made about the value of the stolen bonsai or whether additional charges will be filed.
