ST BERNARD, La. — The St. Bernard Sheriff's Office is on the hunt for a Christmas Grinch.
A masked vandal has been lurking around after dark, damaging holiday decorations.
Security video shows the suspect walking up to a porch in Chalmette. Before leaving, the person tosses a note on the doorstep, pulls out a pair of scissors, and cuts the Christmas lights.
"If you make the effort to go decorate your house and invest your money in decorating your house, you're truly in the Christmas spirit," St. Bernard Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann said. "This knucklehead is going around and trying to take that away from people."
St. Bernard detectives are reviewing camera footage of the vandal. They are also checking handwritten notes left on each porch, which read "Happy Xmas," for fingerprints.
One victim said the vandal not only cut his holiday lights but also deliberately punctured his brand-new inflatables. Another neighbor said he and his wife are now nervous about decorating for the holidays.
"My wife would be very upset," Drew Francis said. "She does put a lot of effort into making our house look nice for the holidays. This is a big deal for my wife, the holidays and decorating."
Sheriff Pohlmann said it's tough to get into the mind of someone who would deliberately damage people's Christmas decorations.
"You're writing the note. You're wearing a hoodie. You're concealing your face, putting gloves on," Pohlmann said. "It's just mind-boggling trying to figure out why this person would be going through all these efforts to do this."
"We're on the watch for them," Francis said. "We're looking out for them."
So far, the holiday vandal has hit about a half-dozen homes on Ivy Place, Jackson Boulevard, and Sinclair Street.
If you can help identify the suspect, you are urged to call the St. Bernard Criminal Investigations Bureau Tip Hotline at (504) 271-TIPS.
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