× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

CASPER, Wyo. — A man dressed as Santa Claus teamed with police to bust a thief who had stashed stolen merchandise in a grove of Christmas trees.

The man, who runs a Christmas tree lot off of CY Avenue, said he noticed the thief drop something among his trees around 4:30 p.m. Monday. He assumed it was a Casper rock — painted stones that people hide and then photograph upon finding — until he noticed a police officer.

That officer, Sgt. Scott Jones, had just stopped someone for speeding when a worker at Rocky Mountain Discount Sports approached him about a shoplifting incident. The store employee pointed out the suspect, who denied shoplifting. But the Christmas tree salesman told the policeman that he’d seen the thief stash the merchandise in his grove of trees.

When Jones approached the man with the stolen items, he got “weepy” before admitting to the theft, Jones said.

The man was not arrested and instead cited for the crime. He will appear in Casper Municipal Court to answer the citation.

“We take shoplifting pretty darn seriously,” Jones said. “It’s kinda neat that the store and Santa and the police collaborated on this.”