Family recruit toddlers for dine and dash with a festive twist

A restaurant owner has been left devastated as a family including young toddlers helped themselves to her Christmas decorations.

Harriet Mclearen said she was ‘hurt’ by the parents ‘teaching their kids to steal’ from outside her restaurant, Burgers by the Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

The couple and three young children made off with a 15ft inflatable reindeer, which cost $350 (£278), as well as a number of candy cane ornaments.

The entire theft was caught on camera – but Harriet, 60, has vowed to keep the rest of her decorations up to ensure the incident doesn’t ruin her Christmas.

She said: ‘I am beyond hurt. They went through and stole all my candy canes off the light poles. I had to de-decorate.

‘I was so upset. I was going to take all my Christmas decorations down. What hurt me the worst was that somebody was teaching their kids to steal.

‘I don’t think I’d have been so upset if it was teenagers that took it. But mum and dad with their kids out stealing stuff?

‘At about 2 o’clock in the afternoon I went to go get Rudolph and he was gone. We have video cameras all around the restaurant.

‘We looked at the footage and there it was. They took the reindeer and they took the candy canes.

‘I was crying because I love that big reindeer. I spend so much money and so much time. “[The reindeer] was in a case next to where he stays by the sleigh.’

The local police department attended the scene on December 7 and reviewed the footage of ‘five unknown subjects, two adults and three juveniles’ stealing a number of Christmas decorations.

Due to the quality of the footage, officers are yet to identify the suspects, but the case is still under investigation.

Thankfully, since sharing news of the theft online, Harriet’s customers and community have rallied together to support her.

She’s set to host a ‘Rudolph party’ to thank customers for their support, determined that the incident won’t ruin her festive season.

She added: ‘I was so upset. I said I’m going to take all my Christmas ornaments down. They won’t let me.

‘My town is like “no, my family comes to your restaurant, we love your decorations, it’s the highlight of Christmas”.

‘It’s so sad but I can’t ruin everyone else’s Christmas. We’re not going to let them ruin our Christmas. We’re going to make a party out of it. That’s the only way.

‘I had the whole community reach out and offer to buy me a reindeer. One of my regular customers brought me down some candy canes. It means a lot.

‘One lady brought me a card with money in it. She cried and made me take it because when her dad was alive he loved to come down to eat in my restaurant and sit in my sleigh and enjoy my decorations.’

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