Morgan Hill Burglar Steals Family's Christmas Presents, Dog
MORGAN HILL (CBS SF) -- A Morgan Hill family faced a Grinch-like shock the week before Christmas when they came home to find that all of their wrapped gifts and their beloved Chihuahua, Sharky, were gone.
Chris Lancer said his wife returned to the family's home on a quiet, rural street around 5 p.m. Thursday to find the house's front and back doors wide open, and their belongings missing.
Lancer said there were no signs of forced entry, although he said he's sure he had locked both doors, just as he does every morning before leaving the house.
Oddly, he said, the thief or thieves left behind a computer, PlayStation and other valuables that were sitting next to the assorted wrapped gifts, which Lancer said were worth around $1,000.
Sheriff's investigators handling the case weren't immediately available for comment today, but Lancer said that as of this morning, he did not know of any arrests in the case.
"I have no idea who would do this," he said. "I wish I did."
The longtime Morgan Hill resident said that family, friends and personnel at the local fire station where he volunteers have rallied around his family, and even replaced the missing gifts he'd planned to give his wife and 12-year-old daughter.
"It was a really good Christmas after all," he said, but added, "We just want the dog back."
Lancer said he and other family members have posted photos of the 3-year-old Chihuahua throughout their neighborhood and have checked local shelters daily, hoping that someone might have brought him there.
"Hopefully with all the media and support we've been getting, somebody's bound to see him and do something," he said.
(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed)
