A Florida woman who claimed last month that thieves broke into her home and stole Christmas presents she had wrapped for her five children has been charged with making a false report to law enforcement.
Shana Hudson, 39, a resident of Lee County, reported the theft Nov. 19, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page.
“The report made to deputies claimed property, to include recently purchased Christmas gifts were stolen from inside her home, leaving her kids without gifts this holiday season,” the report stated.
At the time, Hudson went public with how bad her situation was.
“Eight fishing poles, they took some clothes, ’cause I bought clothes for my five kids,” Hudson told WBBH-TV in November.
“I wanted my kids to have a pretty much decent Christmas. But now they ain’t going to have Christmas at all some thief came and stole our s—,” she said then.
While being interviewed, she sent a message to the alleged thief.
Should she serve jail time?
“Turn yourself in and bring us back our stuff so me and my kids can have a good Christmas,” she said then.
Overall, she said, about $2,000 worth of items were taken, according to WBBH-TV.
In the spirit of the holidays, investigators worked to “coordinate a donation from the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 323 Lehigh Acres as well as funds from LCSO’s Shop With a Cop, to surprise the mother with new gifts,” the office said in its Facebook post.
Then came a tip to SWFL Crime Stoppers.
On Monday, deputies searched the home of one of Hudson’s relatives, according to WBBH-TV.
What they found were items Hudson listed as stolen, including the Christmas gifts and other items, such as TVs found under bed sheets, hidden fishing poles and a basket of Bath and Body Works.
Shana Hudson, 39, of Florida arrested for falsely reporting her children’s Christmas gifts stolen in failed Grinch-like plot
“This woman took advantage of the system and is now paying the price for her selfish choices.”https://t.co/6MmlWKFL9J
— atasteofcreole (@atasteofcreole) December 10, 2023
WBBH said this time, Hudson had nothing to say as police arrested her.
“This pathetic behavior is unacceptable, especially given the circumstances this holiday season,” Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in the Facebook post. “This woman took advantage of the system and is now paying the price for her selfish choices.”
Hudson was taken to jail, where, in the words of the Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook post, “this Grinch will have plenty of time to think twice about stealing Christmas.”
The post added two hashtags at the end: #YoureAMeanOne and #StealingChristmasBackfired.
