"A Christmas miracle": Grinches arrested after Davis family's holiday decorations stolen
DAVIS — A Davis family is calling it a Christmas miracle after cops found their stolen holiday decorations.
Surveillance video caught a pair of grinches breaking into a storage locker.
Ryan Johnston says many of the stolen Santas and other holiday-themed items were heirlooms that had been collected over decades by a family member who recently passed away.
"We were really devastated because obviously, they had been in the family for years," he said. "We were looking forward to putting them up for our Christmas."
Johnston was determined to try and catch the crooks. He posted the video which shows a closeup of the suspects, whose faces were shown, on a social media crime watch page and asked for the community's help.
Davis police were able to locate the accused thieves in Citrus Heights. The stolen items were found inside their home. Detectives have since returned the cherished items back where they belong.
Davis Police Lieutenant Dan Beckwith said capturing the suspects and recovering the items brought out the holiday spirit at the station.
"I'd be lying if [if I said] some of the detectives weren't singing Christmas carols back in the office when they were going through a lot of this property," said Davis Police Lieutenant Dan Beckwith. "It was really cool."
Johnston said it's just great to have their stuff back, calling it a Christmas miracle."
The family is happy that the community has come together to help brighten their holiday season.
"I want to say to everyone who was involved, 'From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much,' " Johnston said.
Davis police say they arrested Thomas and Michelle Witten on felony burglary and grand theft charges.