Thief or Amateur Arborist? Tree Stolen, But Replaced With Another

Does the tree of crime bear bitter fruit? Or is a Melrose tree thief merely an amateur arborist with a particular aesthetic sensibility?

responded to a strange report last Thursday afternoon, when the said that a red plum tree, owned by the city and planted on the sidewalk in front of 17 Hillside Ave., had been stolen.

However, while reading through the report on the phone, Melrose Police Lt. Mark DeCroteau paused before saying, "Believe it or not ... it had been replaced with another smaller, green tree.

"The whereabouts of the original tree are unknown at this time," DeCroteau added.

The red plum tree has an approximate value of $300, according to DeCroteau, who offered a variety of possible explanations for the theft and subsequent replacement: That the thief perhaps saw the red plum tree as more valuable than their green tree, or maybe the thief simply wanted a green tree in that spot.

"I can speculate, but I don’t know what much about trees, to tell you the truth," he said.

The incident remains under investigation.