California Man Charged With Stealing Inflatable Christmas Decors From Homes, Businesses

KEY POINTS

Suspect Wayland Rudd stole over $950-worth of Christmas decors
He will be held in custody with a $15,000 bail
Chico police are now looking for the families with stolen Christmas decorations

Police in California arrested a 38-year-old man for stealing inflatable Christmas decorations from multiple homes and establishments on Tuesday.

The suspect, Wayland Rudd, was charged with possession of more than $950-worth of stolen property, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey said, as quoted by Action News Now. Some of the stolen items have since been retrieved and returned.

Ramsey has requested to hold Rudd in custody on a $15,000 bail which the judge granted.

Rudd's case will also enter a plea at 8:30 a.m. on Dec 29. He will spend Christmas in the custody of the Butte County Jail until then.

According to the Chico Police Department, Rudd was arrested at around 11:20 p.m. after the Chico Police Dispatch Center received a call regarding a suspect stealing Christmas decorations from a local hotel.

Rudd reportedly stole an inflatable penguin from a motel, a 6.5-foot-tall inflatable Grinch with a chimney, a 6-foot-tall inflatable unicorn with a wreath, a 3.5-foot-tall inflatable unicorn, a 7-foot-tall inflatable Santa on a motorcycle and an inflatable Santa in a firetruck.

Wayland's theft of the inflatable Santa in a firetruck was captured on a home surveillance video from a victim.

The video, posted on the local Facebook group Butte County Fires, Accidents, Crimes (BCFAC), showed Rudd crawling on the lawn to steal an inflatable Santa on a firetruck and running off with the decoration.

According to the Chico Police Department, two of the stolen inflatables have been returned to the owner on Thursday.

Candy Cane and Rainbow, two of the inflatables stolen earlier in the week, have been returned home! Thank you for sharing and happy holidays!! 💙🦄🎄

This is not the first time people have stolen Christmas decorations in the state of California.

Just last November, a woman was caught on surveillance video stealing a San Diego home's candy cane decorations, according to an NBC Los Angeles report.

The thief stole 28 out of the victim's 50 candy cane decorations.

"It does ruin your holiday and puts a kink in all your plans," victim Steven Casselman said to NBC LA.