BAKERSFIELD, CA - Halloween is still weeks away. But it's already been no treat and just evil tricks for a local family.
Thieves hit their front yard, not once, but twice stealing decorations that have been part of their holiday tradition for years.
Delanna Gayles shares pictures of what her decorations looked like when she put them up October 1.
"We have a little zombie zone," said Gayles.
It's part of her and her young granddaughter's creation called Dead End Cemetery, complete with grave markers, birds, and bones.
"We dress up and get spooky and jump out of the headstones like zombies," said Gayles.
But this year's ghoulish game is cancelled now that thieves hit the house. Criminals crept in taking most of seven years worth of decorations from the central Bakersfield front lawn Sunday night and came back for more Tuesday night, leaving Gayles to explain why Halloween won't be the same to her young granddaughters.
"They were crying they were upset. They were mad that people would come out on our property and take things that belong to us," said Gayles.
Bakersfield Police say decoration thefts are common, although they tend to happen closer to Halloween and this is the first they've heard of this year. But nothing is safe.
A boy in Washington state just had his 45 pound pumpkin plucked from his front porch this week. While that thief was caught on tape, Gayles only has pictures of her decorations. They have now been replaced with a sign in her front yard sending a clear message to the thief who stole their treasured trinkets and their tradition.
"I'm not feeling like I want to open up my door to people in masks after being robbed twice in a week. We had a nice Dead End Cemetery that is gone now," said Gayles.
Gayles has not filed a police report.
Seargeant Joe Grubbs with the Bakersfield Police Department says if you fall victim, a report must be filed within 14 days of the crime.
The best way to prevent theft is to bring larger decorations, or the ones that mean the most to you, inside overnight.
Thieves hit their front yard, not once, but twice stealing decorations that have been part of their holiday tradition for years.
Delanna Gayles shares pictures of what her decorations looked like when she put them up October 1.
"We have a little zombie zone," said Gayles.
It's part of her and her young granddaughter's creation called Dead End Cemetery, complete with grave markers, birds, and bones.
"We dress up and get spooky and jump out of the headstones like zombies," said Gayles.
But this year's ghoulish game is cancelled now that thieves hit the house. Criminals crept in taking most of seven years worth of decorations from the central Bakersfield front lawn Sunday night and came back for more Tuesday night, leaving Gayles to explain why Halloween won't be the same to her young granddaughters.
"They were crying they were upset. They were mad that people would come out on our property and take things that belong to us," said Gayles.
Bakersfield Police say decoration thefts are common, although they tend to happen closer to Halloween and this is the first they've heard of this year. But nothing is safe.
A boy in Washington state just had his 45 pound pumpkin plucked from his front porch this week. While that thief was caught on tape, Gayles only has pictures of her decorations. They have now been replaced with a sign in her front yard sending a clear message to the thief who stole their treasured trinkets and their tradition.
"I'm not feeling like I want to open up my door to people in masks after being robbed twice in a week. We had a nice Dead End Cemetery that is gone now," said Gayles.
Gayles has not filed a police report.
Seargeant Joe Grubbs with the Bakersfield Police Department says if you fall victim, a report must be filed within 14 days of the crime.
The best way to prevent theft is to bring larger decorations, or the ones that mean the most to you, inside overnight.