A Virginia father shared photos of his festive Christmas decorations on Facebook, but he soon found himself accused by the local sheriff of stealing the holiday inflatable display set up in his front yard.
Trey Robinette proudly showcased the Santas and snowmen in a social media post dedicated to his daughter Baleigh, only to face backlash from locals who claimed he had taken the decorations without permission.
‘Winter wonderland all set up at the house for little miss baleigh, I think she’s going to love it,’ he wrote in his Facebook post.
According to his profile, Robinette runs a contracting business in Ridgeway, Virginia.
In response to the accusations and online criticism, the Henry County Sheriff’s Office joined the conversation with a humorous reaction that added more attention to the situation.
‘Mr. Robinette, Sheriff Davis and several other deputies came by your home today to look at this fine display of Christmas Joy in your front yard and we just so happened to notice that they all belong to other fine citizens who work for a living,’ the sheriff commented.
‘We appreciate your holiday spirit, but next time we suggest decking your halls with decorations that you actually bought and paid for. Our deputies will be back soon to discuss your inflated sense of entitlement. Merry Christmas!’ the comment finished.
The sheriff’s comment got more than 18,000 reactions, far more than the 1,300 reactions Robinette’s post got.
Trey Robinette is pictured with his daughter. Robinette is accused of stealing his neighbors’ Christmas decorations
Pictured: A gingerbread house, snowmen and penguins that are now in Robinette’s front yard
One resident claimed she has video evidence of Robinette stealing her Christmas decorations
Pictured: Robinette’s post caught the eye of the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, which wrote this comment
The hundreds of replies to the sheriff’s comment applauded the office for its sense of humor.
‘This post wins the internet for Christmas,’ one person wrote.
‘Laughing all the way in Scotland,’ another wrote, with someone else in the comments saying they were from Australia.
‘Whoever runs this account deserves a raise,’ a third wrote.
Henry County Sheriff Wayne Davis told DailyMail.com that the comment he ‘personally’ wrote ‘was not a joke.’
Davis was amazed that his comment went viral, saying, ‘I had no idea how it would explode like this.’
Davis accused Robinette of stealing the Christmas decorations from ‘numerous families’ in a nearby subdivision approximately a week ago.
His office took reports from the families, many of whom had children that were upset because their inflatable Santa or snowman was gone.
Davis said Robinette inflated the decorations the same night he allegedly stole them and later posted them to Facebook.
Just like the sheriff’s post implied, deputies went to Robinette’s home on Monday. Robinette wasn’t home at the time, but officers were able to recover and return the decorations to the affected families.
Robinette, who is well known to the sheriff’s department and has a criminal history, is now wanted by the county for multiple counts of larceny. Davis said he is currently ‘evading arrest.’
Robinette made this post on October 19, and now many of his local detractors believe it’s ironic
The rest of the comments on Robinette’s post shamed him for allegedly setting a bad example for his daughter and being brazen enough to post pictures of his alleged crime on social media.
‘I mean if you’re gonna steal something, maybe don’t post the evidence all over Facebook. Give those people their decorations back and if you can’t afford them yourself then ride your kid around to see them,’ the person suggested.
Many people also picked up on a post he made back in October that they thought was ironic.
Robinette reposted a image with the following text: ‘Someday your kids are going to figure you out. I promise you they will. The type of parent you are. The type of spouse you are. How you treat other people. How much effort you put into them.
‘You’re either going to be someone they look up to, or someone they never wanna be like. Always remember they are watching and absorbing.’
Locals flooded that two-month old post with negative comments as well following the sheriff’s public callout of Robinette.
‘Yup she will. You thief. Poor kid,’ one person wrote.
‘This didn’t age well,’ another wrote.
‘Dude, you’re young and dumb right now. Your daughter will see how you are. Change now while you can,’ a third wrote.
