Why The Grinch Was Arrested This Week at Deer Valley Subdivision in Daviess County, KY
Christmas Disturbance in Daviess County, KY
Some residents in the Deer Valley Subdivision just outside the city limits of Owensboro, Kentucky, got quite an unexpected show Tuesday afternoon. A man dressed as The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was sitting in the back of one of the Daviess County Sheriff's Department's brand new patrol trucks. Shortly before that, The Grinch was seen destroying Christmas decorations, breaking into an SUV, and removing Amazon packages from the front porch of a house. The Grinch was indeed 'stealing' Christmas and deputies quickly apprehended, cuffed, and arrested him.
Well, at least they were pretending to. As it turns out, the whole thing was staged. However, not everyone who passed by the scenes of the alleged crimes knew that. In fact, by the time the school bus rolled into that section of the neighborhood, The Grinch was being placed in cuffs.
A local mortgage inspector was making a visit to the neighborhood around the same time and passed by the Grinch as he was being slammed against the hood of the squad truck.
The woman said she saw the arrest being made and thought, "What has this world come to?"
What Was Actually Happening?
Luckily, what she and her Deer Valley neighbors and friends were seeing was completely staged by the Daviess County Sheriff's Department, Wonder Boy Media and WBKR. Daviess County Sheriff Brad Youngman came up with the idea of using the iconic Grinch to increase awareness about the importance of public safety during the holiday season. So, with the help of a brilliant script written by Captain Jared Ramsey from the Daviess County Sheriff's Department and the pros at Wonder Boy Media, he set out to create and film a holiday PSA about the importance of protecting your personal property from porch pirates and thieves.
Why Did They Stage the Grinch's Arrest?
Sheriff Youngman says one of the main reasons he wanted to find a creative way to get the word out and increase awareness is because the problem is real. He says that many of the guns being used in violent crimes throughout the county are actually firearms that are being stolen from their rightful owners. He adds, "These are guns that would not normally end up in the hands of criminals, but yet they are on a daily basis." In many cases, guns are being stolen from vehicles and homes and the PSA is intended to remind you to protect your valuables inside your home and outside it.
And that's where The Grinch comes in and that's precisely why he (or, well, I) was in the Deer Valley Subdivision on Tuesday afternoon.
The Daviess County Sheriff's Department wants to thank Wonder Boy Media, the Deer Valley community, and the DCSO Patrol Division for helping create the public service announcement. And they want to thank YOU in advance for your cooperation this holiday season.
As for The Grinch? Well, his PSA made its big debut this morning- featuring the voice of WBKR afternoon guy Dave Spencer. ENJOY!