PORTSMOUTH, Va. – A Grinch is trying to destroy Christmas cheer in Portsmouth. Neighbors living in the Merrifields’ section of the city told WTKR that someone destroyed their holiday inflatables over the weekend.
Rhianon Growney said it happened while they were gone Friday.
“We noticed two big slashes in his belly and they’re pretty good sized slashes and then we have a penguin who has a little slash in his face," Growney explained.
The mother of two said someone slashed a snowman and a penguin.
“My 9-year-old with Autism is devastated and afraid to sleep because of it and my 6-year-old is devastated because one of our inflatables damaged was his special one,” she explained in a Facebook post.
In the post, a surveillance photo showed a male suspect kick one of the inflatables.
Growney said it’s also happened to her neighbor’s as well.
She said the neighbor’s Ring surveillance camera caught the suspect destroying their property.
He told us his family's house has been hit twice.
Growney said she's never seen the suspect before and is glad things didn't end up worse.
“They didn’t touch the house, they didn’t try to break-in," she explained.
Each Christmas, the Growney’s blow up inflatables but this is the first year a Grinch has cut them down.
“It’s Christmas and we can’t just find another $100 to replace these or give our kids back their security,” she said.
A police report has been filed.
