Toy Theft & Property Vandalism in Santa Maria Causes a Christmas Pinch
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - Someone in Santa Maria is due for a lump of coal in their stocking this Christmas.
Toys were stolen and a building was vandalized.
Catholic Charities of Santa Maria has been holding its annual Toys For Tots drive at the Knights Of Columbus Hall on McClelland, next to the old DMV.
Late Tuesday morning, a volunteer named Paola Oros arrived to find damage to the Knights Of Columbus Hall building, bags of toys ripped open with items missing, bikes knocked over or missing, and more.
“I come in and I see that it's kind of messy and there's like some bag, like I didn't even notice. Like my survival skills were not great,” says Paola Oros, Catholic Charities Nutrition Educator. “I was like, okay, my goal right now is to count the bikes. Some of the bikes were missing. The refrigerator door was opened, the doors to the office were open. So I was like, okay, that's kind of strange.”
She heard a noise and called police, thinking the thief might still be nearby.
“Just coming in and then feeling that feeling of, okay, something's off, but I have to get this done,” says Oros. “And then hearing the sound, that's when I was just like, Okay, that's it. I'm. Yeah. So I left.”
A drone search was initiated when officers arrived, but nobody was found.
“Every bag had a number on it, and that number represented a family,” says Ruth Sherrill, Catholic Charities Of Santa Maria. “It could be like one child, it could be seven children. It would be horrible if we give a bag and three of the five children got gifts and then two don’t.”
Catholic Charities volunteers say the Knights of Columbus Hall Building had been locked Friday afternoon and that the crime could have been committed any time between then and Tuesday morning.
“A lot of volunteers and community members have donated,” says Sherrill. “They put a lot of thought and heart into fulfilling the wishes for these children. And just to see to see that torn apart is…”
Catholic Charities’ distribution takes place on Thursday, but organizers say they’re thinking of holding another one between now and Christmas day.
They are open for material or cash donations during normal working hours at the Knights Of Columbus Hall.
Police are still looking for the thieves.
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