From Deseret News archives:
Vandals destroy manger, Nativity scene in Logan
Manger destroyed; Logan police say baby Jesus doll is stolen every year
Shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, someone entered Tabernacle Square near 50 N. Main, knocked over the Wisemen in the nativity scene in front of the Tabernacle and took the manger and the doll being used to portray the baby Jesus.
"Every year someone tries to steal it. Sometimes it's returned, sometimes it's not," Logan Police Capt. Dave Tarbet said.
Because of the frequency of the baby Jesus being stolen, this year Logan police installed an alarm system in the manger scene. The alarm was tripped Wednesday when the manger was disturbed.
Police brought in a K-9 unit and found two sets of footprints in the snow, Tarbet said.
The manger was found in pieces on the Tabernacle grounds. The doll was found across the road lying face down in the street.
"It's the first time they've destroyed anything," Tarbet said.
He called the taking of Jesus an "annual prank" and did not believe it was a hate crime.
"We expect it every year. We prepare for it. We try to catch them," Tarbet said.
The Nativity scene is easily accessible because there is no fence surrounding it, so detectives said anyone could get close to it.
Tarbet said at least two people were believed to be involved in this year's vandalism, but investigators had no other leads. In fact, he said he couldn't recall if anyone had ever been caught for taking the doll.
Logan isn't the only place where a Nativity scene was disturbed this year. KSL Radio reported that a baby Jesus was also stolen from a Nativity scene in Draper recently.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com
