One of three large planters in the highway median near the Route 14 and Main Street intersection in Gloucester was demolished late Friday night or early Saturday morning. Photo be Kim Robins

Capt. Ryan Cookson of the Gloucester Sheriff’s Office said GSO deputies first discovered the damage at 1:22 a.m. Saturday. "We couldn’t find anything that indicated that it was struck by a vehicle, and we couldn’t find a damaged vehicle," Cookson said.

"There were no tire marks on the curb, no paint transfers on anything and no vehicle parts found at the scene," Cookson added. He said it was possible that the planter was struck by a large truck, perhaps the trailer of a tractor-trailer rig.

Regardless of who was responsible, someone took the time to clean up the mess and leave the remains piled neatly on the highway divider. Cookson said that is how the deputies found the remnants, neatly piled with a surviving shrub on top.

The Gloucester Chamber of Commerce owns the planters, according to the organization’s executive director Makalia Records, and their contents are planted and maintained by members of the Garden Club of Gloucester.

Records said whether to replace the planter would be up to the chamber’s board of directors. She did not have a damage estimate but said the loss was reported to the sheriff’s office.

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