Saugus lawn ornament theft spree continues

SAUGUS – It?s not every day an elephant makes its way to Saugus High School. But early Wednesday morning, police found just that after Saville Street resident Richard Spates reported his 200-pound lawn ornament stolen sometime on Tuesday.Now Spates is reunited with his 2-foot-long, gray painted elephant after Police Lt. Ronald Giorgetti had officers return it on Wednesday afternoon, saying it was most likely kids playing a prank.?I think it?s just kids being kids, not realizing that it?s actually a crime,” said Giorgetti.It?s been a bad month in general for giant lawn ornaments in Saugus. Earlier this month, Joan Walton?s 300-pound garden gnome and accompanying mushroom were stolen from her front lawn at her home on Wendell Street. Walton then put up a 3-by-5-foot sign reading, “Bring our gnome home and his pal the mushroom. No questions asked, just safe return.” A few days later, both items were returned.On Tuesday, Library Trustee Teresa Lyons said someone stole her 200-pound fountain from her backyard last week.?How they ever moved a 200-pound fountain is beyond me,” said Lyons, who has owned the fountain for 20 years. “It has a lot of sentimental value to me.”Lyons said she realized the fountain, which featured a water-spitting cherub, was stolen when she noticed several pieces of her lawn furniture scattered around her yard and thrown over her fence.?A bunch of things were found behind my shed and over my fence,” said Lyons. “It looked like they were interrupted.”Giorgetti said lawn ornaments and similar figurines are generally recovered and returned to their owners. However, an item like Lyons? fountain is a different case.?When you get into the more ornate landscaping and hard structures like that fountain ? that?s usually a targeted theft,” said Giorgetti. “I would imagine someone like that had someone in mind when they take something like that.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected]. You can follow him on Twitter at @MattTempesta.