WILKES-BARRE, Pa. — Police in Wilkes-Barre say the person responsible for Christmas gift thefts all over the city is now in custody.
They posted the face of the accused thief on a holiday Facebook post. He was arrested just after midnight, with help from Santa Claus, on Public Square in Wilkes-Barre.
"I saw it," said Brenda Sokolowski. "I looked out the door, and I saw the Grinch running through the square. The police were chasing him. They caught him, and it was great because they saved Christmas."
"Took them a little bit, but they did their job. Good," said Joshua Stein.
"I think it's a shame," said Alma Petrowski. "His hearts three times bigger than it was; why are you arresting him now?"
Investigators say the Grinch is responsible for hundreds of gift and Christmas decoration thefts in the city of Wilkes-Barre.
The Grinch was arraigned in front of magistrate Thomas Malloy and was taken directly to the North Pole, without bail. A preliminary hearing for the Christmas menace has not been set.
