SAN ANTONIO — In a house on the edge of Alamo Heights, Kate Griffin and her husband believe "Kindness is everything," "Women’s Rights are Human Rights" and "Black Lives Matter."
“We have signs in our yard that reflect our values. We have a 'Kindness is everything' sign, and over here until Sunday I had local school board candidate (sign),” Griffin said.
The candidate she’s talking about is Travis Wiltshire, who ran for a seat on the Alamo Heights ISD School Board.
The sign has since been removed, but Griffin says when woke up Thursday morning she noticed a patch of dead grass where that sign used to stand.
“When I called a neighborhood to tell them, it looked like someone threw Roundup in our yard. They said it had been other households that had the same thing happened,” Griffin said.
Over a period of about 24 hours, close to 20 different homeowners said they had seen the same thing in their yards.
The one thing they say they all have in common is their support for Wiltshire.
“We don’t know what the motive is, we don’t know who this is, we just know there’s a common thread that’s repulsive,” an Alamo Heights neighbor said.
Another neighbor says her rose bushes were poisoned as well. She’s now having to replace 47 of them.
“The landscapers are estimating it’ll be somewhere between $20,000 and $30,000 to replace them,” the neighbor said.
With so much damage, the Alamo Heights Police Department says the person responsible could face felony charges.
“To know someone maliciously and cowardly threw herbicide on my yard and garden is upsetting,” Griffin said.
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise a reward fund. If you’d like to help, click here.
Since KENS 5 broke the story mid-May, the number of damaged yards has reportedly increased to 42 different properties.
“It’s a disappointment the fact that these things are occurring and the other part I was saddened and felt responsible for the fact that if there is a connection between me running for this position and yards signs with my name on it I just felt bad I was linked to this.”
So far, they've raised more than $6,500 to find the person responsible for the damage. But so far, no arrests have been made.
“I just love the fact they’ve taken the bull by the head and said, 'Not in our community,'”
The Alamo Heights Police Department is asking anyone with information to contact them as soon as possible at cferruzzi@alamoheightstx.gov or (210) 832-2230. You may remain anonymous with any tips or information.