Hayward police searching for suspects who stole artificial turf

HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) -- Something is missing from a church in Hayward and it's not the sort of theft police are used to dealing with.

It's a bold burglary that's left a community bewildered.

"They were very, very neat and tidy about it, I have to say that," Pastor Raoul Robles said. "We've had other things stolen, but this was a first."

The front yard of the Bay Hills Community Church never used to be gray. It used to be green.

Two congregants had donated artificial turf as part of a new drought-tolerant landscape.

But on an ordinary day, as the pastor was leaving his car, he noticed something. "I just kind of stood there and wow, who would do this?" Robles said.

"Well, I got the call and I thought he was joking," Kathy Ridenour said.

Cloyd Ridenour and Kathy had donated the turf and the time to install it.

"The people that delivered it had actually kind of made a joke about someone stealing it and at that time, it was funny," Cloyd said.

But it was no laughing matter, they had spent days cutting and stapling that giant roll of plastic greenery.

Seeing it gone left believers in disbelief. "People from the congregation come over here and looking at it said, 'we can't believe this,"' Robles said.

Removing that turf was no small feat. For one thing, it was driven into the ground with dozens of giant nails. For another, it was in three pieces and each one weighed about 200 pounds.

Leaving behind every nail and only a few blades of green around the edges, thieves packed up the turf in full view of a public road sometime after 11 p.m.

Police told the pastor this is a first and the insurance company didn't even know where to begin.

"Years ago, nobody would steal anything from a church. They were afraid they'd get zapped by lighting or something, I don't know. But now everything is fair game," Robles said.

So, what would Jesus do? Robles believes he wouldn't press charges, but he might want to have a talk with the thieves.

"You have to say, we forgive you for taking our sod, but we really wish you'd bring it back and install it," Cloyd and Kathy said.