Cypress Police Ask Grass-Roots Help in Finding Tree Thieves

Five prized sago palms worth more than $5,000 have been stolen from homes and businesses in Cypress over the last two weeks, and police Monday asked residents for help in nabbing the thieves.

Cypress Police Lt. Bob Bandurraga said the trees were uprooted at night. “Some people go to work or wake up in the morning to find their plants gone,” he said.

Over the weekend, Bandurraga said, a family returned home to discover its sago palm uprooted. “Apparently, the thieves were about to cart the tree away when the family showed up,” he said.

The Cypress incidents follow recent similar thefts in Garden Grove and Westminster.

One Garden Grove homeowner said thieves uprooted three sago palms from his yard within the last month.

Cypress also recorded 15 thefts of sago palms two years ago. The shallow-rooted trees, always in demand by landscapers and homeowners, sell for up to $6,000, depending on their height.

Cypress police plan to use Neighborhood Watch newsletters to educate people about the value of the palm and warn them about the recent thefts, Bandurraga said. He asks that anyone with information about the thefts call the police.

“People should be suspicious of anyone trying to sell the palms for lower prices,” he said.