# Neighbor stealing halloween decorations



## Jacksonville Haunter (Apr 21, 2011)

*http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/article/332834/3/Neighbor-accused-of-stealing-halloween-decorations*
*ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- Neighbors in one St. Johns County subdivision say they woke up to find their Halloween decorations had been swiped from their lawns.*


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## Mattimus (Oct 23, 2013)

I made my zombies easy enough to bring in each night. I hate that I have to worry about vandals and thieves lurking in the darkness... makes me feel paranoid.

Also, that pumpkin's version of "Thriller" is off a few keys.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

This is why we put very little out ahead of time.


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## Mattimus (Oct 23, 2013)

It's a sad day and time that this problem exists.


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## Lunatic (Oct 3, 2006)

I'm with Roxy. I don't set up my graveyard until Halloween and its totally taken down the same night. Its way tougher that way but I trust no one.


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## kprimm (Mar 14, 2009)

This lady would soooo get brown paper bags filled with dog excrement thrown all over her house. Then she would be even more down on her luck.


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## Haunted Bayou (Feb 16, 2007)

I had my only good prop stolen the day before Halloween one year. I now do not put anything out early. Too bad too because I see other houses with decorated yards, and I feel kinda bad but I can't afford to replace everything.


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

Just two cents from your Haunt Forum Community Relations Officer...

Besides security steps that you can take, I want to suggest to members that you should be identifying/marking all of your props. Just as you're supposed to mark your valuables in your home in case of a burglary, you can ID the property if it is stolen then found. And before anyone poo-poos that, I will add that yes, property does get found. It's better if there's an identifier on it when it gets reported stolen. Write it in paint or permanent marker in an inconspicuous place. Most people use either the last 4 digits of their social security number or the last four or five from their drivers license number. If your props would ever get stolen make sure you inform the officer taking the report of the identifiers.


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## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

^Copchick has the right idea. I mark mine outside and inside, just in case! I've always thought about microchipping my biggest builds too.

Best theft that happened to me was about 12 years ago; I'd purchased this humongous pumpkin for about $40 bucks...so wide and heavy it took two people to lift it! As you may know with the larger pumpkins, most are pretty nasty or rotten on the inside. Anyway, I'm watching a horror movie one night close to Halloween and about 1:00am I hear a noise outside. I open the front door and a bunch of kids are carrying my giant pumpkin to the open trunk of their car. I start running and yelling at them, at which point they toss the pumpkin towards the trunk, it hits the lip of the trunk, splits into almost 75 pounds of rotten slush and falls into their open trunk as they drive away...needless to say, the laugh was worth the cost of the loss!

Knock wood my hubris doesn't come back to haunt me!


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

All of our props have a "DL" carved into the bottom right corner on the back, plus I have my cameras set up. I also make sure that I am seen in uniform on a regular basis. It tends to keep down anyone randomly walking into our yard, unless they see me outside.

I'm not sure how I would handle someone stealing my props and selling them online.


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

Well I am still too trusting I guess, but I do think I will be marking my gear now with some numbers. But most people will need a drill to get my stuff, as it is screwed down pretty well.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Being afraid of being a victim makes you a victim already. I will not be bullied by some phantasmal thugs. My decor goes up on the first weekend of October, weather permitting, and does not come down until the 1st. I use basic security measures; lighting, some of the more prized and/or mobile props are alarmed, ALL of them are well secured into place by deep driven stakes, rebar and screws. Doing anything less than what I would like to do allows the vandals to win.

I have been lucky I guess and never had anything stolen or damaged, except by mother nature.


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## Acid PopTart (Oct 29, 2007)

Copchick said:


> Just two cents from your Haunt Forum Community Relations Officer...
> 
> Besides security steps that you can take, I want to suggest to members that you should be identifying/marking all of your props. Just as you're supposed to mark your valuables in your home in case of a burglary, you can ID the property if it is stolen then found. And before anyone poo-poos that, I will add that yes, property does get found. It's better if there's an identifier on it when it gets reported stolen. Write it in paint or permanent marker in an inconspicuous place. Most people use either the last 4 digits of their social security number or the last four or five from their drivers license number. If your props would ever get stolen make sure you inform the officer taking the report of the identifiers.


Fantastic advice!



Sawtooth Jack said:


> ^Copchick has the right idea. I mark mine outside and inside, just in case! I've always thought about microchipping my biggest builds too.
> 
> Best theft that happened to me was about 12 years ago; I'd purchased this humongous pumpkin for about $40 bucks...so wide and heavy it took two people to lift it! As you may know with the larger pumpkins, most are pretty nasty or rotten on the inside. Anyway, I'm watching a horror movie one night close to Halloween and about 1:00am I hear a noise outside. I open the front door and a bunch of kids are carrying my giant pumpkin to the open trunk of their car. I start running and yelling at them, at which point they toss the pumpkin towards the trunk, it hits the lip of the trunk, splits into almost 75 pounds of rotten slush and falls into their open trunk as they drive away...needless to say, the laugh was worth the cost of the loss!
> 
> Knock wood my hubris doesn't come back to haunt me!


Oh my! That's fantastic about the pumpkin slush ending up in their trunk!

It really sucks that this happens, in my neighbourhood I live in the very back, on a dead end street that backs up to the park and some very dark woods which provides amazing cover for thieves. Several times I've watched a cop car chase down suspects in cars in the park over the sidewalk and through the baseball diamond, sadly the only way out is the clearing by the woods which empties out onto my street.

Cars are frequently broken into here and a month ago next door, suspects kicked in the front door and cleaned them out. We've had one attempted home invasion and one attempted burglary, both times our dogs prevented the crimes. But over the summer, witnesses saw two kids throw a rock through our window by our front door shattering it. They ran off into the woods and we couldn't catch up to them. I won't live in fear, but I take precautions. So I don't decorate till day of, but mostly because my props are affected by weather and easily stolen! This year I'm using a lot of my antique medical items for display, no way I'll take a chance setting those out early! Considering "pickers" have brazeningly walked into my driveway and garage while I'm getting something from inside the house and attempted to snatch my 'scrap metal', I'm just a bit wary these days.


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