Thief returns stolen watermelons after eating them

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Since he was 6 years old, Kenneth Simons has been farming watermelon. At one time, his melons were sold in stores like Dillons and Walmart.

Just off South Broadway in Wichita, Simons has one field dedicated to growing watermelon and cantaloupe, selling them outside of his hard to miss bright yellow Ford F-100.

On Sunday, Kenneth took a lunch break and parked his truck behind some bushes. But while he was gone, someone stole several watermelons out of the back of his truck. The thief returned them eaten, leaving behind rinds and no money to pay for them.

“It’s shameful,” customer Lisa Shelton said. “There’s no other word for it.”

But there’s plenty of support from his loyal customers behind him. Despite the incident, Kenneth, who recently turned 90, will continue to plant, grow and sell produce, and the smiles that go along with it.

“I enjoy working at it, but I’ve enjoyed working at it for years,” Simons said. “I used to wholesale them to the stores years ago.”

“I got a better deal going right here. I sell whatever I want, sell them right here. I sell the whole works right under this tree.”

His melons are keeping customers like Shelton and her granddaughter Arianna happy and coming back each year.

“He always picks my melons for me, because I’m not very good at it, I haven’t mastered that,” Shelton said. “They are always perfect!”