Chesterfield thieves target family-run pumpkin patch: 'It's very hurtful'

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — The owners of Levi’s Pumpkins, a family-run pumpkin patch, told CBS 6 they were targeted by thieves who stole thousands of dollars worth of fall decor.

The pumpkin patch off Qualla Road offers wagon rides, homemade games, and dozens of decorations.

“It has everything. It’s perfect for all ages,” Chesterfield mom Lisa Pontius said. “It's just great to be able to bring a family here and not feel like you're breaking the bank."

“We just believe in families having fun,” said Tammy Clarke whose family runs the farm her son Levi started 24 years ago. “It's something that he loved very much."

This patch is Levi’s legacy. It’s what they have left of him after he passed away three years ago.

"It's been a very hard thing for our family to push through," Clarke said.

After her son’s unexpected death at age 41 from COVID-19 complications, Clarke said she knew her family needed to carry on Levi’s love of fall.

“In a way, this is good therapy for us because we know that we're honoring his name and hope we're making him proud,” she explained.

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The Clarkes pride themselves on the decorations that help create memories at their patch.

“We just think it's important for families to have photos of their families to take back, to share, you know, where they've been, what they've done,” said Clarke.

But early Saturday morning, nearly one year after the Clarkes say several items were stolen from their patch, they woke up to more missing decorations.

“My husband had just thought about it like, oh, this is about the same time we got hit last year, and indeed, we had been hit,” Clarke explained. “And there was more people this time that came to steal from us, and more items that were taken.”

Metal pumpkins, scarecrows, bats, flags, and other personal family items were all missing.

“Even a homemade sign that Levi's grandmother had made for him and that had been with us for 24 years,” she said.

With the help of neighbors, a police report was filed.

According to Chesterfield Police, around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, October 19, four vehicles came onto the property.

About eight people from those vehicles took items and drove away.

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“It's very hurtful, because Levi is the type of person that would have given the shirt off of his back,” Clarke noted. “He would have done anything for you. It just seems so unnecessary that people would go to such lengths to take from a person who gave so much.”

In the days since the reported theft, there’s been an outpouring of support for Levi both online and in person at the patch.

“We've had people that have come and said, you know, we've been coming here for years,” smiled Clarke. “There's no other place that we would go.”

“It makes you want to come out and support them even more, because they are doing something that's helpful to the community,” said Midlothian mom Ashley Haney.

While the Clarkes are now watching their beloved farm a little more closely, they say they’ll continue to place pumpkins on wagons and smiles on faces every day.

“I think it's just the homespun joy of family that makes this worth it,” said Clarke.

Chesterfield Police say the investigation is still ongoing, but if you know anything about the stolen items, call Chesterfield Police or Crime Solvers at 804-748-0660.

Meanwhile, Levi’s Pumpkins will have its last big weekend on Saturday and Sunday and will be open every day from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Halloween.

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