Arrests After Santa Put Up for Dying Toddler Is Stabbed

"They gutted the stomach. And then they sliced it sideways and up and down." The victim was an inflatable Santa Claus, but more than just a balloon was harmed. A Cincinnati-area neighborhood has been troubled for days over vandals who had been stabbing Christmas decorations put up to bring cheer to a dying 2-year-old. Police say they've now arrested two teens who have admitted to damaging the decorations on Adair Court in the Colerain Township neighborhood, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer. The 16- and 17-year-olds were apprehended early Thursday morning after a resident allegedly saw them in action.

WKRC reports the boys have been charged with curfew violations and criminal damaging; one was hit with a charge of fleeing police. No motive was given. The New York Times reports the neighborhood had rallied around Brody Allen after the toddler's parents were told brain cancer would take his life within two months. Shilo and Todd Allen decided to decorate their home for Christmas, a holiday he loves, and neighboring houses did the same. They rallied again when the outdoor inflatables began to be stabbed, patching holes so they could once again come to life. (More vandalism stories.)