GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A Grand Rapids man has his beloved Halloween decoration back after it was stolen in late October.
"I have a lot of homemade pumpkins in my backyard," said Nick Wallace. "I built a pumpkin arch on my patio."
Wallace has a lot of spooky décor outside his home in Grand Rapids.
"I knew once I had my own house, I knew I wanted to do an elaborate display out in my yard for the community and so I'd been working on it every year," he said. "I add to it every year to make it bigger and bigger."
This year, though, one beloved handmade prop went missing.
No, she didn't fly off on her broom. Wallace says she was stolen in the middle of the night on Oct. 24.
Helga the Witch is about 5 feet tall. She was yanked right out of her bucket next to her cauldron.
Made of a mask, chicken wire and a dress, Helga took about three or four weeks and a few hundred dollars to make.
The unique decoration was spotted by a neighbor in a yard in Kent City. Wallace says Helga was not even hidden, but just added to the homeowners' own cauldron.
The Kent County Sheriff's Office is in contact with the alleged thieves. Wallace is pressing charges.
Helga was a popular neighborhood attraction before she was stolen.
"People like taking pictures with her [while] trick-or-treating," said Wallace. "Just to have something like this happen is kind of a let down. Super disappointing that someone would do this because it's really just meant to be for fun. It's not something someone should steal."
To secure outdoor decorations in your yard:
- Have heavy décor.
- Tie it down with zip ties or lawn stakes.
- Lock it down with a chain or lock.
- Put it close to your front door, as that makes them harder to steal.
Even though Helga didn't return by Halloween, Wallace says it didn't dispel his Halloween spirit.
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