COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- A local church is without one of their trees after someone drove onto their property over the weekend and cut it down, possibly to take home for a Christmas tree.
It happened at Calvary Chapel Eastside on Edison Avenue, near Platte Avenue and Powers Boulevard in Colorado Springs.
"About two years ago, that is when we started seeing things peeling off, first it was park benches," Associate Pastor Tracy Dodson said.
After that, picnic tables, umbrellas, copper wire and fire pits went missing.
"Everything that you can think of was stolen, down to some signs on the front of our property that say 'The Lord Bless You,'" Dodson said.
Frustrated, and out thousands of dollars, Calvary Chapel decided to take action.
"For about a week and a half we staked out the property all through the hours that were dark, so someone was here watching the property," Dodson said.
Next, the church installed surveillance cameras.
It was after their patio furniture disappeared, members thought there was nothing left to take.
"It is (backyard) a slab of cement, and we never though they would steal a tree," Dodson said.
But sometime overnight Saturday, that is exactly what happened.
The church's seven foot evergreen, gone!
Left behind, a stump and a few branches.
"I think it fits the time of year, which is really sad, because it is Christmas, and they decided to steal from a church," Dodson said.
Once again, Calvary is taking action, spraying their remaining trees with skunk scent.
"It would not be wise to steal one of those and put it in your house," Dodson said.
As for what is left of their tree, the church is sticking with tradition.
"We are going to decorate the tree, just to show them that they did not win," Dodson said.
Calvary Chapel Eastside has reported all the burglaries to police.
The good new is a group of people were recently arrested in connection with the copper theft at their building and elsewhere throughout the city.
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