Clearwater police say there has been an increase in stolen Christmas decorations in one Bay area community.
Police say in 10 days, there have been five different thefts of holiday decorations in neighborhoods east of Missouri Avenue near Lakeview Road.
Paul Sachs, 11, said thieves stole his blow-up yard decorations last week.
“I’m really angry at them,” he said. “Because it’s not their property.”
Paul’s mom, Billy Jean Sachs, said it breaks her heart someone would steal from her son. The decorations have been a family tradition since her son was born.
“It’s just really sad that you can’t go out and buy stuff yourself,” she said. “Go get a job. Work. I work hard for my money. Why can’t you work hard for yours? Why do you have to steal from a little boy?”
Jean Carrabotta, 93, said when she couldn’t find a laser light display anywhere in town, her daughter sent her one in the mail.
“One afternoon, when my caregiver went to the mailbox, there was this box... My daughter from Boca had gotten one for me for Christmas,” she said. “And I was so excited I lit up like a Christmas tree.”
But that light was dimmed when her display disppeared from her front lawn.
“It was so pretty out there. It only goes on when it’s dark. So about 8 o’clock, when I got up again, I looked out the front window, and it was gone. It was just stolen, and I felt so bad,” Carrabotta said.
But that’s not stopping Carrabotta from decorating the inside of her home.
She said she hopes those who stole decorations from five different homes in the neighborhood think long and hard about what they’ve done.
Clearwater police recommend protecting Christmas decorations by putting identifying marks on decorations and writing down serial numbers on some items. And if there are any displays that can be brought in overnight, police say bring them inside.
Police are working to see whether the thefts are connected. They’re also urging anyone to call authorities if they see something suspicious.