It’s been more trick than treat in Suncrest lately.
Multiple families in the Morgantown neighborhood have been the victims of thieves stealing expensive Halloween displays from their front yards and porches over the last week.
Residents say the thieves are unplugging large inflatables and stealing skeletons and
tombstones.
One resident, Matt See, said this is his family’s second Halloween in the Suncrest area and they’ve enjoyed setting up their display for the community to enjoy.
This year, the scene featured about 10-12 skeletons doing fun activities like grilling, sitting in a bathtub and sledding down the roof.
“A few weeks ago we added a 10-foot, $350 talking skeleton to the mix,” he said.
However, on Wednesday night, that skeleton was stolen from the family’s front yard — leaving their two children devastated Thursday morning.
“We do this because there are a lot of people that drop by our house and stop and take pictures and people that walked by, which kind of led my wife and I to add more and more to it,” See said.
“It just stinks because you’re doing this to try to bring joy to your kids and other people in the neighborhood and then when somebody does something like this — it’s just pretty crappy,” he said.
See said the thieves left the skeleton’s arms in the yard, and its legs were found down the road from the family’s home. They have been searching the rest of the neighborhood in hopes of finding more pieces.
“Why do you even do it?” See said, confused as to what the thieves motives are. “Like why, if you’re not going to take it and do something with it? It just kind
of stinks.”
See said his home was not the only one hit in the past week. Neighbors all around them have also had decorative items like tombstones and large inflatables come up missing overnight.
Morgantown Police Chief Eric Powell said his department has recently received several reports of items being stolen in the Suncrest area, noting reports from Kiwanis, Fairlawns and Dogwood avenues.
Doorbell and security cameras are useful for police when investigating thefts, however the footage will likely not prevent the theft from taking place.
“The best advice is if you have valuable or expensive decorations do not leave them out overnight, or, during times you are displaying them, make sure someone is present,” Powell said.
See said he’s not letting the thieves bring him down, despite his disappointment. He plans to do something with the discarded bony arms and legs to add to the spooky
display.
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