Thieves Steal The Holiday From A Tulsa Family

Thieves have stolen the joy of the holidays from a Tulsa woman, along with everything else they could get their hands on.<br/><br/>It's all too common as we get closer to Christmas. News on 6 anchor

Tuesday, November 21st 2006, 8:38 pm

By: News On 6

Thieves have stolen the joy of the holidays from a Tulsa woman, along with everything else they could get their hands on.

It's all too common as we get closer to Christmas. News on 6 anchor Craig Day has their story.

"When we came home, the house was just trashed," said burglary victim Rebecca Smiser.

It's never easy being ripped off by thieves. But it's even worse when it happens around the holidays.

"It just knocked the wind out of me. I broke down and cried," Smiser said.

In fact, Rebecca Smiser has cried most of the day.

Sunday afternoon, thieves got in through the back door. Then ransacked several rooms to find what they wanted.

"They tore the door off from the hinges right here," eventually getting everything they could get their hands on. "The scanner, copier, the printer, everything. The digital camera, DVD, disc changer, the stereos all of that stuff," said Smiser.

The thieves also took more than $1,000 in cash that she and her fiancÃ©e have been saving up for months. That money was to be used to buy Christmas presents for their six children. Smiser says she'll have to save what she can over the next month to try to make up some of what thieves took in minutes. But for now, the holidays don't look as happy.

"I just hope they don't do it to somebody else. I hope they don't take Christmas from somebody else," Smiser said.

For ways to burglar proof your home, visit News on 6 anchor and crime reporter Lori Fullbrightâ€™s safety tips at www.kotv.com.