Several residents of a north Phoenix neighborhood are getting their stolen holiday decorations back thanks to the Phoenix Police Department.
On Dec. 5 and 6, several people woke up to discover their holiday lawn decorations were missing. According to court paperwork, several items were stolen including inflatable Christmas decorations and laser lights.
"I went out to turn the lights on and realized some of the inflatables were gone," victim Jennifer Sullens said. "It was really disappointing to see."
A detective unit dedicated specifically to burglaries was able to locate the suspects Tierra Spear and Mark Soldevere after discovering the items on the smartphone app OfferUp.
"One of the victims sent me some surveillance video showing a van and female and male suspect," officer Ty Packard said.
Packard recognized the van and the name.
"I recognized the name and I had arrested the female suspect's boyfriend the previous month," Packard explained.
Undercover officers arranged to meet the suspects in a convenience store parking lot. Once Spear and Soldevere discovered officers were there, Soldevere attempted to run away from the officers and allegedly threw away drugs in a trash can.
Spear allegedly admitted to police that they went to multiple houses and stole decorations to sell online, court documents said. Spear also allegedly showed police where more stolen decorations were being stored.
"When you have stuff stolen, it's not necessarily the monetary value, it's sentimental," Packard said. However, when Soldevere spoke with police he denied the allegations and appeared to be impaired during his interview, court paperwork said.
Police are now attempting to locate the victims of the stolen items so that they can be returned. They also found stolen TVs, passports and driver's licenses.
