Baby Jesus stolen prescott arizona,When Craig Smith of Prescott pulled out his truck to drive to work Monday, his heart sank when he noticed the baby Jesus figure missing from the small Christmas nativity scene near the entrance to his home in the 1900 block of Side Winder Road.

"I walked around our property and the block, but I couldn't find it," Craig said. "Whoever did it unplugged it from the outlet and knew what they were doing, because we didn't hear anything that night."

Craig went inside to tell his wife Cheryl, knowing she'd be disappointed, since she had wanted the nativity scene for so many years, and they had saved up to buy it about seven years ago.

"He came in and said, 'Someone stole Jesus,'" Cheryl said. "It was a terrible thing to happen, especially on Thanksgiving weekend."

Later that day, Craig rode his bike around the neighborhood they've lived in for the past 15 years, but he couldn't find the plastic light-up baby Jesus figure.

Cheryl and Craig said they had displayed the small nativity scene in front of their home at Christmastime for the past seven years without any problems.

Craig said he didn't file a police report because he thought some kids might have taken the baby Jesus figure as a prank.

"If it's just kids doing vandalism, that's sad, but if it's someone who disagrees with our celebration of the true meaning of Christmas, that's worse," Craig said.

Craig said he went to a number of stores around town to see if he could replace the baby Jesus figure, but none of them had the figure in stock.

Cheryl said one of her co-workers suggested that maybe the person who "took Jesus needs him more than you do."

Cheryl said she's making flyers to post around the neighborhood to see if someone will return their baby Jesus figure to the manger.

"They can leave the baby Jesus figure here, no questions asked," Cheryl said. "We just want it back."

Prescott police have not had many reports of holiday decorations being stolen, but it is still early in the season, said Prescott Police Lt. Andy Reinhardt.

"People are less likely to steal from a well-lit yard where they can be seen better," Reinhardt said. "Many times decorations are stolen after the Christmas lights are turned off, so we suggest getting motion sensors."