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It was an honest mistake. They simply went to the wrong house.

But, for Craig resident and gardening enthusiast Kathy Shea, that simple mistake cost her three decades worth of care to her lawn and plants. Shea, who has lived at the house on 695 Legion St. for 29 years, said she's nurtured her yard the entire time.

It took one confused morning to tear that work apart. On Monday morning, Shea said a crew from Alpine Valley Landscaping came by and began working on her frontyard. They were at the wrong house.

"When I got home, the first thing I noticed was that my yard had been hacked up and decimated," Shea said.

Through her neighbors, she learned that some "young kids" arrived in a work truck and began tearing up her yard.

Shea said that the crew came to her house by mistake. They were supposed to be pulling weeds at a home across the street, Shea said.

The damage to her property was enough for Shea to contact the Craig Police Department.

Cpl. Bryan Gonzales viewed the damage with Shea on Monday.

"There were flowers that had been cut down and other plants and flowers were laying around the driveway," Gonzales said.

He said that despite the damage, it would be difficult for Shea to lodge a criminal complaint against the landscaping company.

"We would need to show some kind of intent or knowledge that (they) were doing something against (Shea's) property," he said. "Without knowledge or intent, this is a civil matter."

And, that's exactly the avenue Shea is considering against Alpine Valley.

Dale "Smokey" Werner, who owns the landscaping company, said there was "no excuse for what we've done," and that he had spoken to Shea about resolving the matter.

"I told her I would work with her," Werner said.

Werner said he didn't know if and when he and Shea could come to an agreement over damages to the property.

Shea said working to beautify her property isn't simply a hobby.

"My yard is not just my yard," said Shea, who has rheumatoid arthritis. "It is my occupational therapy, my physical therapy and my mental health program."

Staff writer Joshua Roberts contributed to this story.