Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Christmas is right around the corner, but two Grinches decided to ruin at least a little bit of the holiday spirit.
Early Sunday morning, two suspects believed to be teenagers destroyed part of an elaborate Christmas display with a baseball bat in front of a Fairfax Station home.
Michael Lester, the homeowner, says this kind of vandalism is hard to believe.
“This is a Christmas display. It’s out of the goodness of somebody’s heart for children," Lester said. "It’s an act of kindness, and it baffles me how you could attack an act of kindness.”
The duo destroyed seven inflatable decorations, 15 figurines, a large train, and 10,000 lights. Lester estimates the total damage cost around $7,000.
Lester has a history of creating elaborate Christmas displays. He says this year's display has 250,000 lights, three miles of extension cords, and a $2500 electric bill for the month of December.
Luckily, there’s surveillance video of the whole thing, including when the suspects drove onto the lawn with their silver Ford Taurus, running over part of the display.
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Michele Lester says it’s tough for her to watch the video.
“You watch it and you feel violated,” she said.
Investigators urge anyone with information about this crime to call Fairfax County Police.
