Beavercreek garden center reopens after ‘major’ vandalism; 3 teens arrested

‘No one would even know that we had been hit,’ owner says.

Vandals struck Knollwood Garden Center & Landscaping on Wednesday night, forcing the third-generation Beavercreek business to close Thursday for cleanup.

A crew of about 30 workers, family and friends pitched in to clean up and get the business ready to reopen at 9 a.m. Friday, said John Scott, whose grandfather founded the garden center at 3766 Dayton Xenia Road.

“It was an extreme vandalism,” he said, mostly to hard goods such as fountains, humming bird feeders, pottery and statuary.

A security system alerted owners to the potential break-in around 10:20 p.m. Wednesday at the business.

The vandals pushed over shelves of pottery, shattering numerous items, spray-painted desks in the offices and damaged computers. In all, Scott said he estimates losses of up to $25,000 in computer damage, products and labor to clean it up, not counting the loss in sales due to the closure.

Although it was a big mess, the trees, shrubs and flowers that make up the core of the business were unscathed.

“The plants took zero hit. There’s still plenty of good product,” Scott said.

It took an incredible amount of work to get the business back in order after the “major vandalism,” he said.

“No one would even know that we had been hit,” he said. “The support from our co-workers, family and friends is amazing.”

Beavercreek police Capt. Shawn Sumner said three teens, two boys and a girl, were arrested and are expected to face felony charges of vandalism and breaking and entering.

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