OMG PD: Full-Size Nativity Figures Stolen, Sewer Grate Thefts

DOWNERS GROVE

Nativity Figures Stolen from Downers Grove Church

Five life-size figures were stolen Tuesday night from the Christmas nativity scene outside St. Paul's United Church of Christ.

The church, located at 5739 Dunham Road, issued a press release Wednesday seeking information on the missing statues, which were taken sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, according to Rev. Kirk Moore, pastor at St. Paul’s.

Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus and two magi were stolen, Moore said. An empty manger and a lone wise man were all that remained of the scene when church staff arrived Wednesday morning.

“They left one of the magi, so only one is near the manger,” Moore said. “It’s as if the others, along with Mary and Joseph, are still traveling. It would be great if everything was back in place for Christmas Eve.”

St. Paul's office manager Lee Anne Rockershousen said the figures have been a church staple for "many years." She was unsure of their total monetary value.

"The figures are more sentimental than anything else," Rockershousen said. "We're not sure who would do something like this."

A report was filed Wednesday with the Downers Grove Police Department. Moore is asking anyone with information on the nativity set to call the church at 630-969-2783, or Downers Grove police at 630-434-5600.

BURR RIDGE

Dead Deer Hung in Front-Yard Tree

A complainant reported at 2:03 p.m. that a neighbor who lives near the intersection of 75th Street and Forest Hill Road had two deer carcasses hanging in a tree in his front yard, police said. 

"They were in the front yard, visible to the neighbors who were a little alarmed at the sight," Deputy Chief Tim Vaclav said in an email.  

The resident, a hunter, took down the caracasses voluntarily, police said, and no citations were written.

HINSDALE

Cafeteria Crime

A 15-year-old boy from Hinsdale was charged with theft after police say he made $150 in unauthorized cafeteria purchases at Hinsdale Central High School with a student ID that didn’t belong to him at 10:45 a.m. Nov. 12.

The incident was reported on Nov. 27. The juvenile was charged and released to a parent.

LA GRANGE PARK

Thieves Stealing La Grange Park Sewer Grates

Five sewer grates, together valued at more than $1,000, have disappeared from La Grange Park streets since late November, the La Grange Park Police Department reported on Thursday. The incidents are believed to have taken place in the early morning hours.

The department said that most of the thefts in La Grange Park have involved rectangular crates along a curb, but that there is the possibilty that thieves might also take a manhole cover, leaving a dangerous pit in the road.

Similar thefts have been reported in Westchester, Forest Park, Broadview, North Riverside and Hillside.