Young woman steals baby Jesus from Parker County couple's nativity scene

WEATHERFORD, Texas - The Parker County sheriff says he won't be forgiving to the woman who stole a baby Jesus from a couple's nativity scene.  

The couple had just finished setting up their nativity scene. Thankfully they also bought a camera.

Parker County Sheriff Larry Fowler has named the stealing of a baby Jesus statue from a nativity scene at a home in northeast Parker County near Azle the crime of the week.

“Jesus preached, as I recall, forgiveness for your sins. So I’m assuming he would forgive the lady for her sin,” Fowler said. “I’m just not quite that forgiving.”

Pamela and Oliver Washburn bought the nativity for $1,000 after being gifted the stable by a neighbor who moved. They had just set it up with their grandchildren Saturday and added a security camera just in case. Within a few hours, baby Jesus was stolen.

A video camera captured a young woman or possibly a teenage girl dressed in all black with black under her eyes. She crept up with a cell phone in her right hand and knelt down before Mary and Joseph before stealing baby Jesus away from the manger.

“She just came straight up and just picked it up and took it off,” Pamela said. “When we came out and looked, it was so sad. Everybody was looking down and Jesus was gone. It was so sad.”

“We decided that she needed Jesus more than we did,” Oliver said.

“This man put that out there for the whole neighborhood to enjoy,” Sheriff Fowler said. “And at the first rattle out of the box, somebody comes by and does this.”

The sheriff says Parker County does not look kindly on this. He’s offering a $1,000 reward and floating possible charges of criminal mischief and theft.

“What this is all about, I don’t know,” Fowler said. “But I intend to find out.”

The sheriff says he believes it was the woman alone who stole it.

The Washburn family says they have forgiven the woman and want her to just bring back baby Jesus.