Elusive elf nabbed after mischievous merry-maker wreaks happy holiday havoc throughout Mt. Shasta area

MT. SHASTA, Calif., — Authorities say the weeks-long search for an elusive elf, who reportedly wreaked happy holiday havoc throughout the Mt. Shasta area, was apprehended last Saturday; putting an end to the merry mischief-maker’s wave of Christmas antics.

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Mt. Shasta PD was first alerted to the prancing Christmas present packager’s problem causing shenanigans earlier this month after the department began to receive multiple reports of mostly minor crimes; such as vandalism and theft of Christmas treats and cookies from homes, disturbing the peace, defrauding an innkeeper, and loitering.

“We have been receiving reports of residential break-ins where minor acts of vandalism have occurred; such as toilet paper being shredded, goldfish and other unmentionables being left in sinks and toilets, and ‘snow elf-angels’ being left in flour poured onto counters,” Mt. Shasta PD explained in a social media release when their investigation was getting underway.

Although much of the recently reported Christmas chaos has involved mostly minor acts of vandalism and merry mischief, some of the elusive elf’s alleged antics were a bit more concerning.

During their subsequent investigation, officers and detectives interviewed numerous families and business owners, some of whom reported finding merrily-mysterious notes being left behind after their homes and businesses were visited by the tiny trouble-maker.

Many of the victims later shared with SCNS photos captured of the elusive elf’s alleged antics, some of which can be viewed below.

Officials soon learned the merry miscreant was possibly working with someone else, a mysterious subject said to be heavy-set with a thick white beard; who is described as having rosy cheeks, a memorably jolly laugh, and a special twinkle in his eye. He is also said to keep tabs on children throughout the world, causing some local parents even further concerns about his possible motives for the annual “naughty and nice” lists he allegedly compiles each year.

The elusive ringleader reportedly goes by a variety of aliases, including Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Mr. Claus, Santa, the Big Jolly One, and other names; and some of the Mt. Shasta witnesses also reported seeing the dastardly duo fleeing in an older, red, carriage-type vehicle that was being pulled by several reindeer.

That information was recently corroborated by officials in the southern California area; who are conducting their own investigation into a series of bizarre and hilarious, havoc-wreaking holiday happenings involving a similarly described pair of merry mischief-makers who continue to spread their naughty Christmas cheer throughout the Riverside and Imperial county areas.

Despite the similarities in descriptions, it was not immediately known how or if the incidents – occurring some 750 miles apart from each other – were related. However, an ongoing independent investigation being conducted by SCNS sister news agency Riverside County News Source (RCNS) uncovered new and vitally important information about the ongoing Christmas crime wave.

Officials announced the apprehension this week of an elusive elf who had been wreaking a wave of holiday havoc throughout the Mt. Shasta area in recent weeks. Mt. Shasta PD photos

As reported exclusively by RCNS in an ongoing special Christmas series, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco said he initiated the search for two elusive elves after the pair snuck into his office and left a mysterious, but unsigned poem behind.

Their naughty note hinted at future mayhem and taunted Riverside County’s top lawman to try and capture them, and the Sheriff has said that his deputies will not relent in their search until the slick pair of Santa supporters has been apprehended.

In the weeks following, Bianco has said he is putting more resources and effort into their ongoing search. To date, that search has included both ground and air searches, as well as the use of trained bloodhounds and Special Enforcement Bureau’s SWAT members after the pair of Riverside Rowdies went from committing mostly minor crimes and ramped up their astonishing antics when they made off with one of the department’s large armored rescue vehicles.

In that investigation, officials received so many reports of crazy Christmas crimes occurring simultaneously and in all corners of the state’s third-largest county that they came to the conclusion that either of a gang of erratic elves had flooded into that county or the pair was using special powers beyond our current comprehension and understanding.

Contacted for further details about the pair’s apparent special powers earlier this week, a man who identified himself simply as “Mr. Kringle” remained silent; refusing to explain just how those two elves, since identified as Mary and Frank, can get around so quickly and elude capture so easily.

However, one North Pole local – a reindeer with a peculiarly bright and shiny red nose who requested to remain anonymous – confided to RCNS that the pair could be misusing special powers granted to them by the big jolly man himself.

SEE RELATED RCNS SPECIAL HOLIDAY SERIES:

Riverside County Sheriff seeks help identifying mischievous elves who snuck into office

UPDATE: RivCo search continuing as mischievous merry-makers – now ID’d – continue to elude capture

Now driving a Sheriff’s armored rescue vehicle RivCo search for elusive elves continuing

Ongoing RivCo search intensifies as elusive elves spotted in neighboring Imperial County

As for Mt. Shasta’s Christmas chaos-causing criminal, he was tracked down and apprehended after a tip from a local resident led them to staking out the elusive elf’s holiday hideaway.

He was ultimately nabbed during a subsequent traffic stop while driving a tiny stolen pink Barbie convertible. He gave the name of Thomas the Elf, and under intense interrogation admitted that he was working with others – including Santa himself – in spreading merry mayhem throughout the region.

Unfortunately, due to jail overcrowding and ongoing Covid concerns, Thomas was cited and released with a promise of future good behavior and is no longer in custody.

He has since vanished and while some believe he may have made a run for the North Pole, other locals fear the holiday havoc could kick up all over again.

Addressing citizens’ concerns this week, Mt. Shasta PD has cautioned area residents to be on the lookout for any suspicious elf activity and to post any photos of their antics to their Facebook page.

Click any image to open full-size gallery.

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.

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