Palm Springs homeowner says dozens of cacti stolen from front yard

Holes were left behind, where cacti were once planted, in the early morning, April 11th, at the home on Via Escuela, after homeowner Ken Sim says a thief stole 37 barrel cacti in the “middle of the night”.

“So, I woke up at 6 a.m., and looked out the kitchen window, and realized something was missing,” said Sim.

Sim says he and his spouse Kerry Cunningham planted a total of 54 cacti in November 2018, not long after they purchased the home.

The estimated value of the stolen plants is about $555.

“I was so upset, I couldn’t believe it, I said wait a minute, this is not happening,” said Sim.

Now, the stolen cacti have been replaced.

Also, security cameras and signs are now mounted around the yard, which they set up after the cactus burglar struck.

As News Channel 3 reported in March, the “Luminaire” neighborhood in Palm Springs also had cacti stolen.

That happened about a month before the theft at Sim’s house.

Sim says this is not the first time they’ve been hit by cactus thieves. He says it also happened in the summer of 2018.

The property consultant says he did not file a police report in 2018. However, he says he did file a report online after this more recent theft.

But, he says he’s disappointed that police have not contacted him in response.

“We expect them to at least come out and do a follow-up, and ask some questions,” said Sim.

We asked police if they have followed up on the report, and Sergeant Mike Casavan says the department has performed surveillance in the neighborhood, in response to the crime.

“A lot of times when these kinds of things happen, they say you guys didn’t respond, or you guys didn’t come out and talk to us. A lot of times we don’t. And just because you don’t talk to us, or don’t see us, doesn’t mean we’re not always there,” said Casavan.

Casavan also says an officer did not follow up with Ken Sim directly because the crime is a “petty theft”, and because Sim was unable to provide a suspect description.

The sergeant also says there is no indication that the theft on Via Escuela is related to the theft at “Luminaire”.