Aurora looking for grinch who stole Christmas lights – Washington Daily News

Multicolored Christmas lights used to decorate the water tower in Aurora were stolen, residents say. The new water department director discovered the lights, cables, extension cords and hardware were missing while cleaning a warehouse where the lights were kept.

Of the 15 total strands used to decorate the front of the water tower, at least 10 were taken, according to Aurora resident Beverly Horvatch. Horvatch is part of a committee charged with decorating the city for the holidays. Horvatch says residents blame a “grinch” for “taking off” with the lights.

Horvatch said it’s difficult to know when the lights were stolen. They were put into storage in mid-April but were found missing on Thursday, November 7.

The lamps were stored in a building next to the water tower. The tower and surrounding buildings are guarded by locked gates that public works employees have a key to, Joy Dunn said. Dunn is the director of the Aurora Richland Township Chamber of Commerce.

Dunn said the lights sit on large, heavy spools that require two people to carry them. She said it would be much easier to transport the spools with machines. Each strand is at least 100 feet tall, or the height of the water tower, she added.

If the theft occurred during work hours, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., “it would have been noticed” because someone would have to use equipment, Dunn said. “If it’s not city equipment, it can’t be behind the gates.” Dunn went on to say that when the storage building opened last Thursday, “nothing looked out of the ordinary” and “nothing looked like it had been touched.”

The total cost of the lights and associated equipment is $10,000, but the Aurora Richland Township Chamber of Commerce shared on social media that $6,000 worth of equipment needs to be replaced. In North Carolina, theft is considered a crime if a stolen item is worth more than $1,000.

A question that is difficult for residents to answer is: why. Why would someone steal Christmas lights?

Dunn said the theft feels like a “personal attack” on all Aurora residents as they enjoy the lights and illumination ceremony every year.

“We are so disappointed that someone would indeed attack us in such a way that it feels very personal,” she said.

“It’s so strange because we just haven’t had these kinds of problems,” Dunn continued. “This is a big problem.”

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office has opened an investigation into the theft.

To raise money to replace the stolen lights, a “Grinch Movie Night” fundraiser will be held at the Main Street location in Aurora on Friday, November 15 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Admission is free, but hot dogs, chips, soft drinks and popcorn are available for purchase. Monetary donations are accepted.

To make monetary donations, visit www.partp.org and click ‘Donate’ on the right side of the home page.

A tree lighting ceremony is still scheduled for Friday, December 13 at 6:30 PM at the Water Tower on Pearl Street. Residents started furnishing the water tower in 2021.