Halloween prank ends with act of kindness
FARMINGTON, Mo. – Most people expect a few tricks on Halloween night.
But for one Farmington family, what started as a Halloween prank, turned into an unforgettable act of kindness.
The day after Halloween, a spooky inflatable ghost tree is recovering from a bizarre kidnapping.
"He called us, uncontrollable, distraughtness, crying, having a breakdown, saying someone took his inflatable," said John Robinson, a Farmington resident.
John's 16-year-old son Evan has Autism, and on Sunday afternoon, he could be found in the front yard re-inflating the tree. But on Saturday, things did not look as hopeful.
Officer Ryan Miller responded to the Robinson's theft call, and recognized this was a sensitive situation.
"You know a lot of times, people who suffer from autism, they associate a lot of meaning to inanimate objects that a lot of people think is just nothing," said Officer Ryan Miller, with the Farmington Police Department.
"He saved his money to buy it," John Robinson said. "He takes good care of them, and everyone has things they like, and this was just really important to him. He loves everyone. To have someone come by and do something awful to him. It was just hard as a parent."
Not optimistic he would ever find Evan's inflatable, Officer Miller took to posting on the Police Department's Facebook page about the theft and what it meant to Evan's family.
Within minutes, the response was overwhelming, and just a few hours later, a crack in the case.
"The doorbell rang, and there it was on the front porch," said John.
The tree was returned without a ransom or explanation. But something else was also left at the door Halloween night.
"If I can't get that back for him, I know there is something I can get for him. I just found a Santa inflatable, he had the flashing lights and I just thought, 'This is going to be for him,'" said Miller.
"We've been talking about kindness all day. I haven't cried this much as a grown man in 50 years," said John.
"Being kind is free," said Miller.
Officer Miller says it's unlikely we'll ever know who stole and then returned the inflatable.
For more stories of acts of kindness, visit Humankind on Facebook.