Dec 12, 2024 - News

Woman arrested, accused of stealing bonsai in New Orleans

Carlie Kollath Wells

Illustration of a bonsai tree surrounded by smoke and laser beams. — Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios

New Orleans police on Thursday arrested a 40-year-old woman in connection with bonsai thefts in the city and in Metairie.

The big picture: Erica Ferguson-Murphy faces charges of simple burglary of a business.

She's accused of stealing pricy bonsai trees from Harold's in the Bywater and Perino's Garden Center in Metairie.
Authorities did not say if the bonsai were recovered during the arrest.

Zoom out: The initial news of the thefts spread quickly in the plant community this week, when Harold's released surveillance footage of someone loading the plants into a Toyota Tacoma.

The concern was the person would try to resell the plants.

Go deeper: Bonsai bandit strikes in New Orleans metro

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Woman arrested, accused of stealing bonsai in New Orleans

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