BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — It’s that time of the year when people like to get in the holiday spirit, especially when it comes to their homes. Some like to show off a jack-o-lantern or two, while others like to turn their homes into a full graveyard of freights.
Unfortunately, one fear that’s all too real is the theft of those expensive decorations.
“I usually put them in the backyard, but this year I decided to put them in the front yard,” said Leticia Grider.
Grider loves to see people’s reactions to her Halloween decorations and every year she goes all out. This year — for the first time — she decided to move some displays to the front yard for the rest of the neighborhood to enjoy.
“What gets me is there's a lot of people who have decorations, and I never see their stuff getting stolen. And the one time I put my stuff out, it's like okay your stuff's gone," she said.
Her Halloween fun turned into a nightmare after she saw a stranger on her security cameras walk across her lawn in the middle of the night looking at the displays. She sees the person then take her Oogie Boogie blowup display as well as some of her skeletons.
“An unfortunate reality is that as the holiday season approaches, absolutely we see theft of decorations, and it doesn’t matter what area," said Bakersfield Police Sergeant Robert Pair.
Pair says unfortunately with holiday decoration thefts, they usually end up getting resold online. He said if the act is caught on security footage, there’s more of a chance of catching the thief, especially if someone in the community recognizes them and their vehicle.
“Somebody out there knows that person, or can link it to the vehicle,” he said.
For Grider, she said while she’s upset, she decided not to file a report.
“They have a lot more important things going on than my Halloween decorations,” she said.
She posted the videos to her Facebook page in hopes someone in the area might recognize the person — and also to warn her neighbors about the theft.
“We found it helps that neighbors lookout for neighbors and that’s extremely important," Pair said. "When people see suspicious activity, to give us a heads up so we can try and send a unit out there.”
Pair also says for those concerned about their Halloween decorations, you made need to move them inside overnight to avoid theft. If you see suspicious activity, you can call BPD at (661) 327-7111.
