Matthew King worked for 20 years to bring the Denver Urban Gardens food forest to life. "The community garden here is a lot of refugees from several different countries, and if they don't have this in the summertime, they don't eat," King told CBS News.

But King was helpless on August 6, when Worku Woldemariam attacked the garden. A gardener witnessed Woldemariam damaging a water tank on the property. That gardener's husband approached Woldemariam and was threatened. King called 911.

It took police hours to respond, and during that time Woldemariam ripped gardens apart, stole food, smashed pumpkins, and destroyed beehives. It took police so long to respond that Woldemariam fell asleep in the garden and that's where he was arrested.

"I have worked 20 years to get this to be nice out here, and then to have people come in to destroy it is just totally heartbreaking," King said.

The garden wasn't the only victim of Woldemariam's crime spree. On July 27, Woldemariam cut down the American and Colorado flags outside the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. He threw one in the trash and the other down the drain.

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The next day, Woldemariam went to Aurora's Harar Market, where he used a rock to smash artwork. Specifically, Woldemariam smashed artwork featuring Jesus. According to Harar Market Owner Wend Wesen, Woldemariam told him, "I don't like him," referring to Jesus. On August 3, Woldemariam threw a rock through the window of a Starbucks and tossed propane tanks around. On August 5, he reportedly threw a rock through the window of Nuggs Ice Cream. 

According to CBS, Woldemariam has a lengthy criminal history. In 2013, he was charged in Denver on a similar vandalism case, but was found incompetent to stand trial and the case was dismissed. The next year, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity in a Virginia assault case. He's also been arrested for arson and robbery in other states.

We have no doubt these latest charges will result in similar outcomes.

The first politician who runs on a strict platform of ending this will likely do well.

We do not have to live like this. We do not have to be at the mercy of career criminals that the courts keep cutting loose because they're mentally incompetent. In fact, that makes it worse because these people are dangerous and unpredictable. And it's clear Woldemariam gets around, if he was able to travel from Colorado to Virginia and back again, while committing crimes in other states along the way.