St. Tammany News

Theft does not dampen woman's spirit

Jill Donaldson, a pediatric dentist from Slidell, learned the importance of locking doors the hard way.

Jill Donaldson, a local dentist, sits beside gifts she purchased for an adopted family. Identical gifts were stolen from her vehicle Dec. 14. The Donaldsons are helping two adopted families have the best Christmas ever. (Staff Photo by Jacob Brooks)

Donaldson had 40 to 50 gifts stolen out of her SUV, which she left unlocked outside her home in Meadowlake subdivision near Slidell, on Dec. 14.

"They just opened the door and took them all," said Donaldson. "It was toys, books, puzzles."

There were no high-dollar items, said Donaldson, but it all added up to about $500.

"It was my stupid fault for leaving the car unlocked," she said.

What made it even worse, said the dentist, was that most of the gifts were for an adopted family. Donaldson, through a family-run program called Shine Your Light, adopts two or three needy families each year.

This year, she's giving two families gifts, furniture and even Christmas dinner prepared by chef John Besh, a friend of Donaldson. It's all part of Shine Your Light. Donaldson and her sister are heavily involved in the adopt-a-family program, and they try to make it the best Christmas ever for the families the program benefits. Donaldson got the idea from an episode of "Oprah."

"This is the fourth year we've done it, and we love it," Donaldson said.

She's already replaced and rewrapped the gifts that were stolen and plans to deliver them Saturday.

The theft, however, still has Donaldson scratching her head. She's not sure if the thief saw all the gifts in her vehicle and then followed her home, "or if it was just someone driving around the neighborhood, looking for cars unlocked."

The Sheriff's Office received two reports of burglary from a vehicle in the Slidell area that night, said STPSO spokesman George Bonnett. He could not verify if both reports were from the Meadowlake subdivision.

STPSO has taken steps to help prevent theft this holiday season, Bonnett said.

"We are making a tremendous effort on trying to protect people from theft," said Bonnett. That includes informing people to take precautions of locking doors and securing items in the trunk. Also, the Sheriff's Office show "Behind the Badge," in December featured holiday safety, and the STPSO also placed extra deputies near shopping areas this month to help deter holiday theft, Bonnett said.

Slidell police are getting more reports concerning thieves who go from car to car in selected neighborhoods, looking for unlocked vehicles, said Slidell Police Department Capt. Rob Callahan.

"They see the prize right on the other side of the glass," he said, adding many thieves wouldn't hesitate even if the doors are locked.

"It takes all of two or three seconds to smash the windows, take the gifts, and they're on their way," Callahan said. He advised storing gifts in the trunk or out of sight, and bringing them inside as soon as possible.

While police receive reports of gifts being stolen from cars every year, Callahan said he hasn't seen any reports this year of people breaking into a home and stealing items from under the tree.

''I haven't seen that in a couple of years, which is a good thing," he said.