A Lubbock family arrived home from a trip out of town to discover their two Nutcracker statues were stolen from their home.
“We came home Saturday evening to find that both of our 5 foot tall LED drummer boys, Nutcrackers were missing off of the front porch,” said Rebecca Ruthardt.
Her home surveillance video captured the suspects walking up to her home, as they went “straight for the Nutcracker.”
“[The male suspect] moves a package out of the way, and unplugs the extension cord, plugs it back in. So, he doesn’t take our extension cord, but he carefully took the first Nutcracker,” Ruthardt explained.
“The second suspect seems like a woman, kind of frail, because she tries to pick it up, wasn’t able to, sets it back down, takes the package that we had that had gifts and things in it,” she added. The video then shows the first suspect coming back into frame and taking the other statue.
Ruthardt said she did not recognize either person.
According to the police report, the suspects “stole the listed items without the effective consent of the owner.”
The report stated the suspects arrived from an “unknown direction.”
“Our hope is that at least these people get caught. We don’t need the Nutcrackers. They’re not essential to our lives or anything, but it’s more the hope that we catch the people that did it, so they don’t steal stuff from other people,” said Ruthardt.
“It’s just really unfair that people think they have the right to other people’s things,” said Ruthardt, adding that she plans on rethinking her current security system.
“We’ve learned that we should have put an outdoor camera on when we had the chance. We certainly will explore those options now,” she explained.
“When you set them out at the beginning of the season, your fear is that they’ll get stolen, just because they’re so nice,” she said. “It’s just gut-wrenching.”
“You feel violated, you feel like somebody’s come into your home and stolen something,” Ruthardt added.
She had a simple message for the culprits.
“Quit being ‘grinches’ during the holiday season.”
Anyone who recognizes the suspects may contact Lubbock Police, or call Crime Line anonymously at (806) 741-1000.
