Landscaping Crew Robbed Outside Dallas School While Volunteering
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DALLAS (CBS11) - A landscaping crew volunteering to help clean up a school garden was threatened and robbed on Monday in Dallas.
The crew was trying to do something nice for the teachers and students at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School before classes resumed.
Instead, two men pulled up in a white, Chevy Equinox and started taking thousands of dollars worth of tools.
"It's bad enough to get stuff stolen from you at any point," said David Devlin, co-owner of Scapes Inc. Landscaping. "But when you're trying to do something that's good for the community, for kids, for teachers I think it hurts that bit more."
Devlin said the men yelled at his crew to stay back as they pulled away with leaf blowers and hedge trimmers.
"I think it's just disgust that there are individuals like that out there in our community, it's sad," said Devlin.
One worker tried chasing after the "landscaping larcenists," but the two men got away.
"You're in a school at an elementary school, you're not expecting someone to come steal from you," said Devlin.
Kathleen Tarlow's daughter is about to go into second grade at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School. She said the kids love the garden and feel the theft is a low blow.
"It's a resource for the kids. Nobody likes to think of people stealing from hardworking schools and volunteers," said Tarlow.
Devlin said it is not the stolen equipment that bothers him the most, but the shattered sense of security of his crew.
"I don't think there's a limit to what they could do if they do that in such public view to be honest," said Devlin.
A DISD spokesperson said district police are investigating.
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