10 Crazy Christmas Crimes
The Christmas season is finally here! With the biggest holiday of the year coming up, excitement is in the air. Homes are glowing with lights and decorations, making everything feel extra festive. But Christmas isn't just about good cheer — it's also a time when some people turn to crime. And not just any crime, but some pretty wild ones. The holiday season can bring out the worst in people. Here are 10 crazy times criminals tried their hardest to make it onto Santa's naughty list — and actually succeeded.
1. The Santa Claus Burglar
A man known as "The Santa Claus Burglar" got stuck in a chimney for six hours while trying to escape after a crime. Firefighters in Seattle had to rescue the naked (yes, naked — for reasons that aren't clear) man after a neighbor heard him screaming for help. The man said he was trying to get his backpack, which his friend apparently tossed into the chimney. He also claimed his clothes must have burned up in the process. The man was charged with burglary and sentenced to 17 months in jail.
2. The Heart Attack Faker
In 2014, just before Christmas, Tarus Scott and Gerard Dupree allegedly came up with a scheme at Walmart. The plan was for Dupree to fake a heart attack to distract security, while Scott would steal a motorized Barbie® car and a vacation house. The two items were worth $369 back then, which is even more today. But needless to say, their "genius" plan didn't go as expected.
At first, Dupree's "I've fallen, and I can't get up" act worked, and people bought it. But after a while, he just got up, walked out of the store like nothing happened and met up with Scott outside. The two then drove off together in the same car. Of course, the whole thing was caught on surveillance cameras. Later, both men were charged with grand theft. Between them, they had more than 30 previous arrests.
3. The 'Highest' Christmas Tree
A woman in Chile proudly told her neighbors that she had the best Christmas tree ever. Turns out, her "tree" was actually a huge marijuana plant! When police searched her house, they found 21 cannabis plants, 29 bags of other drugs and two shotguns. The authorities had been investigating her for a month, but they definitely didn't expect to find a marijuana plant dressed up as a Christmas tree! We guess her Christmas went up in smoke.
4. Stolen Baby Jesus
Next time you think about stealing the baby Jesus figure from the local church, you might want to reconsider. It could be secretly equipped with a GPS tracker. In one case, a woman in Florida was arrested for stealing a baby Jesus statue after the GPS device inside it helped authorities track it down. Believe it or not, stealing Christmas nativity figures is actually a fairly common crime during the holiday season. In response, many churches have started using GPS trackers and security cameras to help catch thieves and protect their displays. So, if you're thinking of taking that baby Jesus, remember — it might just lead the cops right to you!
5. Wrong-Way Santa
A few weeks after Christmas in 2015, an Idaho man with the legal name of "Santa Claus" was arrested for driving under the influence after witnesses spotted him driving the wrong way down the road.
The 67-year-old man, who looked just like you'd expect with a big white beard, was from Washington state. Sadly, there was no reindeer or sleigh in sight — just a car driven by someone who probably wasn't making the best decisions. While this could have ended in a much worse situation, the charge against "Santa" was eventually reduced to misdemeanor reckless driving.
In the end, Santa Claus pleaded guilty to the charge and ended up paying a fine of $700. Not exactly the kind of holiday cheer anyone was hoping for!
6. Parking Lot Brawl
Connecticut police reported arresting three people after a fight broke out over a shopping center parking spot a few days before Christmas. When a parking space became available, two cars tried to grab it at the same time. Police said a woman driving one of the cars threw an orange peel at the other vehicle. This led to a heated argument, and soon, three people from both cars allegedly got out and started fighting. The situation quickly got out of hand, and the police arrested the three people involved. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but authorities said that Luz Alicea, 43, Julia Baldini, 22, and a 16-year-old girl were all charged with breach of peace.
7. A Green Christmas
While many people dream of a snowy, white Christmas, one man in California had a very different vision for the holiday. Instead of gifts wrapped in shiny paper, he was handing out something much more unusual — marijuana. The man allegedly went up to customers eating at a Buffalo Wild Wings® in Monterey, California, and told them that Santa had a gift for them. He then passed out small bundles of marijuana wrapped in napkins. When the police arrived and searched him, they discovered more than two pounds of pre-packaged marijuana hidden on him. He was arrested on charges of "furnishing marijuana."
8. Christmas Tree Theft
Two University of Massachusetts Amherst students, Lindsay Zappolo and Miranda Murphy, made headlines for a Christmas tree theft. The pair were charged with larceny and fined $250 after allegedly stealing a Christmas tree from a group of Boy Scouts. The incident took place during the Boy Scouts' annual tree sale at Kendrick Park in downtown Amherst. Zappolo and Murphy were arrested on suspicion of trying to steal one of the trees. Authorities said a third woman was also involved in the theft, but she managed to escape before the police arrived.
9. Now That's a White Christmas
Police got a holiday surprise of their own when they found Santa dolls filled with cocaine and Christmas tree ornaments packed with marijuana in a makeshift neighborhood near Rio De Janeiro's city center. According to a police spokesperson, officers found the drugs hidden in a backpack at the Coroa Residents Association headquarters. This is where toys are usually wrapped and given out during the holidays. The cocaine, wrapped in clear plastic bags, was tucked under the red hats of the Santa dolls.
10. Ssssstolen Sssssnakes
A man from the Greater New Orleans area was caught stealing from a local pet store in a pretty unusual way. He allegedly took three snakes plus a cash register. When the store owner arrived to open the shop, they noticed that a ball python, two boa constrictor snakes and the cash register were all missing. The thief claimed he had stolen the snakes as a Christmas present for his son, though it's unclear how he planned to explain the stolen cash register. The man was arrested and charged with simple burglary for the theft.
Clearly, Christmas isn't always filled with cheer and good intentions — sometimes it brings out some very strange and bizarre crimes. From stealing Christmas trees to hiding drugs in holiday decorations, people can come up with some wild ways to try and spoil the season. But while these weird crimes might make you shake your head, they also serve as a reminder that not everyone is spreading holiday cheer in the same way. So, this year, keep an eye on your Christmas tree, and remember: Not every holiday story ends with a happy ending!
References: The 10 Most Outrageous Christmas Crimes of Recent Memory | 16 of the Weirdest and Craziest Christmas Crimes | Crime Blotter: Attack of the Bad Santa | 2 UMass Students Arrested and Charged with Stealing Christmas Tree From Boy Scouts | Rio Police Find Cocaine in Santa Dolls
