BOTHELL, Wash. — All trick and no treat from a couple of people who vandalized a Halloween display in Bothell early Saturday morning.
“Every year, we add new dragons and just try and make it bigger and more fun,” Amber Jarrett said.
Jarrett, along with her husband Michael, have put up a huge Halloween inflatable dragon display in their front yard for families to enjoy.
They say it takes about 12 to 18 hours to set up.
“It’s not professional, but we put a lot of heart and care into it,” Amber Jarrett said.
When two people disguised in dark clothing and masks walked up in the middle of the night and vandalized the display, the Jarretts’ hard work was ruined in a matter of minutes.
The couple were in Leavenworth at the time. They returned to a big mess, then watched what happened on their home surveillance video.
“At first, it looked like they were trying to just unplug the dragons, but then, when we listened to the audio, we could hear the slashing,” Amber Jarrett said.
“They just went straight for the ones in the yard,” Michael Jarrett added. “Even the ones that were completely flat on the ground – just taking a knife across it a couple times.”
Amber says, as they cleaned up, a dad came by with his two little boys.
“And the little boy says, ‘Why are you taking away Halloween?’ And so, we told him the dragons have gotten hurt and we needed to get them fixed,” Amber Jarrett said.
So, the couple put up a sign in the yard with the message -- “The dragonslayers won’t win.”
“We’ve had people leaving cards and gift baskets and people offering to come help me sew them up. Our neighbors care, that means a lot,” Amber Jarrett said.
The Jarrett family says their kids talked them into trying to make repairs and buy more inflatables to get another display up soon.
The couple also filed a police report, but don’t expect the vandals will be caught.