INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A bold, pre-Thanksgiving thief struck in the middle-of-the-night Tuesday. It wasn’t their intent to make off with someone’s car or get inside a sleeping homeowner’s home and take their belongings. This unknown culprit just had to have the inflatable Santa Claus that was anchored to the ground outside Diana Goldesberry’s home.
“I am mad, and sad. I just cannot believe it. Around seven o’clock Tuesday morning, I looked outside my bedroom window and I told my husband, ‘Oh my God, somebody took my Santa-RV,'” said a disappointed Goldesberry.
“I’ve been putting up a Christmas display for the last six years and this is the first time one of my inflatables has been stolen. It boggles my mind how people could be so mean,” a frustrated Diana told FOX 4’s Robert Townsend on Tuesday evening.
The desperate Grinch struck overnight on North Gilbert Street, sneaked across Diana’s front lawn and dismantled the inflatable Christmas decoration that was anchored to the ground.
“And they were real quiet because I have three dogs that bark at the wind and they didn’t bark or growl or nothing,” said Goldesberry.
The terrible, pre-Thanksgiving theft made Diana cry because the stolen Santa, which depicts the jolly old elf popping out of an RV, was just the latest Christmas character to join Diana’s bright and festive wonderland.
“It’s Christmas and I love to put on my display and have the little kids laughing and saying, ‘Oh, mommy, daddy look at that!’ and then here somebody comes and takes it. It’s not yours!, ” shouted Diana, who now wishes the Santa-snatching crook returns it and places the Christmas decoration under one of her glowing Christmas trees outside her home or just leave it on her front porch.
“I would love it. No questions asked if you just bring it back!” exclaimed Goldesberry, a self-employed, house-cleaning business owner, who paid $150.00 for the inflatable
Santa-RV last year.
“It was just special. I had to save up my money to buy it and if you go look at the stores, you’ll see it’s not even on the shelves this year,” said Diana.
