LITTLE ROCK — It took an automated alarm and 24-hour video surveillance to keep Eureka Springs’ little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay and out of the hands of a thief.
The centerpiece of a lifesized nativity scene in Basin Park annually becomes one of the most popular items in town - and the target of thieving pranksters who swipe him from his manger.
Not this year.
“It’s still in place,” said detective Morris Pate, spokesman for the Eureka Springs Police Department.
The trick was the automated alarm fastened to thefiberglass infant figure - the fourth baby Jesus purchased by nativity sponsors from the Beta Sigma Phi sorority in recent years. The alarm triggers a loud sound if an intruder expresses his intentions with even the slightest nudge.
The alarm has been triggered a few times, halting potential creche-nappings, Pate said.
“They never even get it picked up,” he said. “All they have to do is move it and the alarm goes off.”
The alarm joins a video camera provided by the sorority with a live feed to police dispatchers.
Last year, police spotted a hooded man swipingthe statue, which they later found covered with racial slurs and symbols.
Previous thieves have been a little more jovial about their crime.
Virginia Voiers was 70 when police arrested her in 2005. She pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges and paid a $75 fine after stealing the baby Jesus on a whim, saying she wanted to show her husband a blue-eyed Jewish baby.
But members of Beta Sigma Phi, which has sponsored the display since 1950, don’t see the theft as a joke, member Shirley Bird said.
“It’s not just because it’s Jesus,” she said. “If they were stealing anything besides that, I’d still have the same opinion.”
Pate said replacing thefigure costs $200-$400, a price he hopes the group won’t have to pay again, thanks to an effective security strategy.
Beta Sigma Phi “are theones who have to foot the bill every time that thing gets stolen,” he said. “Let’s let everyone enjoy it.” To contact this reporter:
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 12 on 12/25/2009