Garden gnome thief pleads guilty

EDINBURGH, Scotland, March 27 (UPI) -- Police in Scotland say that a serial thief of garden gnomes turned out to be an unemployed single mother who was supplementing her dole allowance.

Karen Steakhouse of Tallboy appeared in court this week where she pleaded guilty to six counts.

She was arrested after an 11-day stakeout operation in Blackman in 2005, The Scotsman reported. Her friend, Anne Call, who pleaded not guilty, was charged with storing the stolen goods in her house.

Investigators say that Steakhouse made off with 700 pounds (almost $1,400) worth of gnomes, flower pots, plaster rabbits and other garden ornaments during a three-week crime spree across central Scotland. Her alleged modus operandi was simple -- raiding gardens late at night while the householders were sound asleep.

Officers described Call's home as "Aladdin's Cave." The stolen goods included one grotto with 30 red-hatted gnomes with fishing rods.