FREDERICKSBURG, VA (WTVR) - Police are looking for the person who stole an 80-pound baby Jesus statue from a nativity scene.
The statue was stolen from Central Park Shopping Center on Tuesday, according to police in Fredericksburg, Virginia. A maintenance worker discovered the statue was missing.
Fredericksburg police spokeswoman Natatia Bledsoe said investigators believe the suspects drove up to the sidewalk, grabbed the figure, threw it in the back of a car or truck and drove off.
She said while the plastic baby Jesus figure was only 12 by 18 inches in size, it was weighted down with 80 pounds of concrete. That weight was added to deter thefts. That same baby Jesus figure was stolen in 2005, but returned within a few hours.
"Why would you steal the baby Jesus from the nativity scene? This isn't the case of somebody stealing something because they need money or need to fulfill a particular need? This is a hard case to explain," said Bledsoe.
Bledsoe said whoever stole the statue could face a felony grand larceny charge.
"We hope this figure gets returned, unharmed, so we can get back to enjoying this public display," said Bledsoe.
According to Rappaport Companies, the group that manages the shopping center, the nativity scene has been a tradition for at least 10 years.
