Four juveniles were caught Saturday night with a stolen yard Santa in the back of the SUV belonging to one of their mothers. Orange Police Officer J.E. Roy linked the four to vandalism of Christmas decorations at three houses in the Dawnwood neighborhood off Highway 87.
Also on Sunday morning, a resident in Oak Creek Village discovered damage to holiday yard decorations. The propeller off an inflatable helicopter with Santa was missing. Also, the head of a Mickey Mouse was gone from the mouse body riding a sleigh with Minnie. An inflatable mailbox with three penguins was also damaged. Police did not say if that case was related to the four juveniles.
Officer Roy said he was traveling north on Highway 87 about 10:45 p.m. Saturday when a call came in about a man living on Hickory Trails seeing a white SUV drive off with his Santa Claus that was hanging from a gutter. The officer saw a white Cadillac Escalade traveling south on Highway 87 and the driver ran a red light at MLK Jr. Drive.
Officer Roy reported when the SUV stopped for him he could see the Santa in the cargo area.
The four youth are also connected with destroying an inflatable polar bear and inflatable snowman in the 1000 block of Dawnwood Saturday night and destroying a wire snowman, wire reindeer and lighted star from the 6200 block of Rosewood Drive.
Police called the parents and turned the four, all 16 or younger, to the parents’ custody.
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