Is anything sacred anymore? A Wisconsin congregation is pleading for the safe return of an irreplaceable baby Jesus figure stolen from a Church Nativity set they have put out every Christmas for the last 100 years. It’s not the first time someone has stolen the baby Jesus from a nativity scene, and it appears that it will not be the last, as there has been a string of these thefts across the country, especially over the last decade.
Police said the culprit stole the figure and did some rearranging of the Nativity set at St. Patrick’s Church in Menasha, Wisc., between 7 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. Monday, Police issued a BOLO (Be On The Lookout) for the baby Jesus. Parishioners of the church are praying meanwhile that the culprit will return the figure before Christmas, and said that the thief can return baby Jesus to the set no questions asked, according to Fox11 News.
“You can drop it off any time, no questions asked. Just put him back where you found him. We’d just like to get it back,” congregant Craig Quick told Fox11.
Craig also said that whoever stole baby Jesus also damaged the rest of the Nativity set in the course of rearranging it. Craig believes the culprit acted on impulse, without thought or care.
“It’s not at all funny. It’s disrespectful and this incident was very unfortunate,” Lt. Nick Thorn of the Menasha Police Dept told Fox11. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the baby Jesus figure are encouraged to contact the Menasha police Department.
Menasha police also said that incidents like this show that it might be a good idea for homeowners and churches to install surveillance cameras to cover outdoor Christmas displays. (via: Daily Caller)
Unfortunately these types of crimes often happen late at night, and without video surveillance it is next to impossible to find the thief responsible without community cooperation. Churches around the country are spending the money they would otherwise use this holiday season to help the needy to install video cameras and GPS trackers. Many are inclined to laugh it off as a ‘harmless prank,’ but the members of these congregations and communities would strongly disagree. What do you think? Victimless crime?
