Morgan Hill was visited by the
“birthday grinch” Saturday as a 7-year-old girl and her family
and friends were celebrating her birthday in Galvan Park.
Morgan Hill was visited by the “birthday grinch” Saturday as a 7-year-old girl and her family and friends were celebrating her birthday in Galvan Park.
Police were called by a family member at approximately 4 p.m. Saturday to report a theft of Cassandra Inguez’s birthday presents from the trunk of her mother’s car, MHPD Lt. Joe Sampson said Monday.
Wendy Bicho, Cassandra’s aunt, said the family is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thief or thieves.
“The initial call was taken as a real basic information type of call, with no suspects” said Sampson. “Then at 5:30 p.m., the mother called us back and told us credit cards were also stolen from the vehicle, and she had contacted her credit card company and learned a card was used shortly after 4 p.m. at the Madrone Market. She called the store and found out they keep video tapes.”
Officers are using the video tape from the store to attempt to identify suspects, Sampson said, and to determine if anyone at the party saw any of the suspects on the tape at the park or near the vehicle.
The presents, which Sampson said the family valued at $500, were in the trunk of the vehicle, which the mother said she thought was locked. But there was no sign of forced entry, Sampson said.
The lesson to learn, police say, is to make sure vehicles are always locked, even when owners will be nearby.
“We have reports of thefts from unlocked vehicles all the time,” Sampson said.
Bicho said Cassandra had already opened her presents, and her mother had made a list of them so Cassandra could write thank-you notes to the gift givers.
“She (Cassandra) was so upset that my mother and I ran right out that evening with the list and replaced the gifts,” Bicho said. “We’re not going to give up on this. Anyone who would steal a child’s birthday presents, well, that’s just low. We’re going to follow through until whoever did this is caught. With the surveillance tapes the police now have, we think we have a good chance.”
Anyone with information on the theft of Cassandra’s gifts is requested to call the MHPD, 779-2101, or Crime Stoppers, 778-STOP (7867) to report information anonymously.
