Couple seeks help in ending vandals’ spree
James and Neva Davis used to hang a wreath outside their home in the Foxwood subdivision to decorate for the holidays.
Not this year.
All the Davises want for Christmas is the apprehension of their two front-yard vandals.
the two juveniles, whom the Davises captured on video, are wanted for striking the couple’s home eight times between May 15 and Aug. 15, destroying 18 flower pots in the process.
Neva Davis, who is disabled, said she and her husband don’t want to give them any reason to come back for the holidays. and, unless the vandals are arrested, they don’t plan to do any more flower gardening in the future either.“they made our summer a living nightmare,” said James Davis, who is fearful the vandals could return.
According to Detective Scott Doumitt, who worked the Davises’ case for the Lee’s Summit Police Department, it is currently closed.
“but if we develop any more leads, we’ll reopen it,” Doumitt said after being informed that the Davises wanted to circulate photos of the vandals in the Lee’s Summit Journal.
During the summer, police had a video of the vandals captured by a camera on the Davises’ front porch enhanced by a local company, Doumitt said. Clips and still images from the enhanced video were circulated to every school resource officer in Lee’s Summit, he said, and the SROs shared them with elementary and secondary school faculty, principals and other staff.
The images resulted in some leads, the detective added, and some youth were even brought in for questioning. but no one confessed to the crime and the images were not clear enough to make a positive identification from, he said.According to the Davises, the vandalism began small, with the theft of one of the 30 flower pots in their yard, which was taken down the street and smashed near a neighbor’s home.
The next night, May 15, police received reports that several flower pots were broken at the Davises’ home and that several vehicles and residences in the area were spray painted, said Sgt. Chris Depue, a spokesman for the Lee’s Summit Police Department.
More flower pots were broken at the Davis’ home on June 4 and June 25, Depue added. and on these and other occasions, only the couple’s residence was targeted.
“While the (other vandalism) stopped in the area, for some reason the suspects continued to harass and damage the property of Mr. and mrs. Davis,” Depue said. “through our investigation, we have been unable to uncover a motive for the continued vandalism.”
Apparently, the vandals, who the Davises believe to be between 13 and 15, have something against flowers or the types of people who try to beautify their yards with them, the couple said.
During the worst assault on their home, Neva Davis said, the vandals spray painted “Hey flower lady” and a smiley face on the couple’s garage door, broke six flower pots and pulled ivy from the home.
Jim Davis, who purchased an outdoor motion sensor as well as a video camera in an attempt to stop the attacks, said the sensor set off an alarm on that occasion. but by the time he made it outside, the extensive damage had been done and the vandals were gone, leading him and his wife to believe there were more than two that night.
All of the incidents occurred at night, Jim Davis added. but the vandals don’t confine their crimes to the cover of darkness, he said, explaining that his yard is well-lit by four exterior lights.
The Davises said they took turns staying up all night on several occasions trying to catch the vandals. and Neva Davis said she pleaded with police.
“I told the police you have to catch them because it’s going to get worse,” she said.
Then, Neva Davis added, she read in the Journal that vandals stole a Halloween wreath off of a local couple’s home, set it on fire and threw it on the hood of their 2010 Honda Odyssey late in October.
The incident, which caused $50,000 in damages to the vehicle and an adjacent garage, took place in the Oak Tree Farm subdivision, which is next to Foxwood.
The Davises believe the same vandals were involved and that “they’ve discovered fire.”
Anyone with information on the incidents is asked to contact Detective Doumitt at 816-969-1638.
