Mom Who Said Her Kids' Xmas Gifts Were Stolen Is Arrested

Police now say Shana Hudson, 39, 'took advantage of the system'
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 11, 2023 7:31 AM CST

A Florida woman who earned the sympathy of her community after reporting that her kids' Christmas gifts were stolen out of her home has been arrested for falsely reporting that crime. WKRC and Fox News report on the case of 39-year-old Shana Hudson, who, according to a Facebook post by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, had called in a supposed burglary at her Lehigh Acres home on Nov. 19. The detectives who were investigating the case felt especially sorry that, in addition to other items, Hudson's gifts to her kids had apparently been taken, and so they took the time to reach out to the American Legion and the sheriff's office's "Shop With a Cop" program to arrange for new gifts for Hudson's children.

However, an anonymous tip to the local Crime Stoppers busted Hudson—information received in that call led cops to uncover that she'd lied about what had happened, and the "stolen" gifts were soon found stashed at a relative's home, per the Facebook post. Hudson was charged with fraud in the form of a false report to law enforcement. "This Grinch will have plenty of time to think twice about stealing Christmas," the sheriff's office notes in its post, which shows a video of someone dressed in a Grinch costume at the scene of Hudson's arrest. "This pathetic behavior is unacceptable," says Sheriff Carmine Marceno. "This woman took advantage of the system and is now paying the price for her selfish choices." (More weird crimes stories.)

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