Thief steals Christmas presents intended for needy children

(SOUTH HURON, ON) – A recent theft of Christmas presents could have made for just another sad story that we sometimes here about this time of year; however, this story has a different ending - a much nicer one!

The story began last Friday evening, Dec. 2, when a kind and generous citizen went out to purchase some Christmas presents for the less fortunate children in the area. The woman made several purchases and had built up a nice collection of colouring books, craft supplies, board games and toys, all destined for a church Christmas toy drive.

The woman needed to get some batteries for the toys so she stopped at the Canadian Tire store in Exeter and quickly went inside to finish up her shopping. When she returned to her vehicle, she realized someone had entered her locked vehicle and stolen a red plastic bag that contained all of the presents.  

The victim was understandably upset about what had happened and the next day, she reported the theft to the Huron OPP. Officers took her report and initiated an investigation to identify and apprehend the thief. It’s now one week into the investigation, and unfortunately, officers have been unable to identify a suspect. This isn’t the only update to the case, though. 

It turns out the officers working in Exeter that day didn’t want this woman’s act of kindness to go unnoticed. So, they each chipped in some money to purchase some replacement toys. The Canadian Tire store eagerly matched and even exceeded the officers’ donation and, collectively, they were able to come up with a sizable sack of toys for the victim. 

“It just felt like the right thing to do," said Huron OPP constable Jason Richardson. "She was trying to do something great at this time of the year, and we didn’t want someone to take that away from her. We knew those toys were destined for the less fortunate and we wanted to make sure that still happened.

Thursday afternoon, Dec. 8, Huron OPP officers met the victim at the Canadian Tire store and were able to surprise her with an assortment of toys and sporting goods. The woman was left nearly speechless; however, the smile on her face and the tears in her eyes said it all.

Anyone with information regarding this theft is asked to contact Huron OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or 519-524-8314.  Should you wish to remain anonymous, you may call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), where you may be eligible to receive a cash reward of up to $2,000.