Family's $1,000 Christmas display trashed

CHILLICOTHE - A woman woke up Sunday morning to find her family's elaborate Christmas light display destroyed.

Heather Helterbrand said she let the dogs out of her home in the 300 block of Plyleys Lane on Sunday morning and noticed that a majority of the display pieces that she had illuminated for the first time Saturday night were laying scattered on the ground.

"I thought, wow, there must have been a lot of wind last night for all these things to be blown over," Helterbrand said.

But as she walked around the yard setting everything back up, she noticed it was not the wind that had knocked everything over. The more she looked she discovered cords were cut, and some objects had ended up in neighboring fields. Helterbrand thinks someone deliberately caused what she estimated to be more than $1,000 in damage to the display.

"I would just like to know why," Helterbrand said.

Lighted trees, reindeer statues and large lights were among the items reported as destroyed.

"It was definitely the best year he had. It was just stunning... It was just really, really sad," Helterbrand said. "I have lots of family that love to come and see the lights, it's kind of a tradition for us now."

But the tradition has taken a bit of a set back. Helterbrand's husband took a week off of work, and spent all of his spare time in the last three weeks — more than 100 hours total — to put together the original display.

Helterbrand said what likely  took the vandals only a few minutes caused more damage than they can afford to replace around Christmas time. Helterbrand said they also talked about withdrawing from this year's Home Holiday Decorating Contest because of the smaller display.

The family has been participating in the annual contest, put on by the city's Parks and Recreation Department, for four years. In 2014, they brought home a first place finish. Friends, family and supporters on Facebook talked the Helterbrands into setting up what was left of their original display.

According to a Chillicothe Police Department report, there is a continuing investigation into the incident, but no physical evidence was left at the scene, and there are no suspects.

Detective Bud Lytle of the Chillicothe Police Department said they get "numerous reports" throughout the season as more residents put up decorations.

In 2012, a group of teenagers were accused of damaging and stealing items from a Christmas display on Barnhart Drive where the homeowners discovered more than $2,000 in damages and loss to their display.

The way many of these cases get solved, Lytle said, is through a neighbor or witness calling the department with information.

The Southern Ohio Crime Stoppers Facebook page states a reward has been posted for information in this case.

"Hopefully, the concept of money will at least give people a little bit of incentive," Lytle said.

Home Holiday Decorating Contest

Submissions for the decorating contest are due Thursday at 4:30 p.m. 

To enter, send an email to mike.green@ci.chillicothe.oh.us with the subject line "Decorating Contest," and your name, address, and telephone number in the body pf the email. 

You may also call the Parks and Recreation Department at (740) 772-5626.

Judging will take place on Friday beginning at 6:30 p.m.