Chattanooga Grinch Turns Himself In

  • Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Tony Ho
Tony Ho

A 23-year-old local man who had been dubbed the Chattanooga Grinch has turned himself in.

Tony Ho is charged with theft after police said he had been driving around in a white minivan stealing packages off porches of homes.

Police had released surveillance video of the Grinch.

They had recommended that it might be the safest course for him to turn himself, and he did.

Police had earlier warned residents, "At first glance it may seem like a nice vehicle on its way to soccer practice, but don’t be fooled… this wagon of thievery is believed to be connected to these crimes."

In an incident on Friday around 3 p.m., a woman witnessed a man take a package from her porch that had been delivered by UPS. She said he ran and got into a new white minivan before speeding away. 

The woman said there was a bicycle in the package that her daughter had ordered for her son for Christmas.

The woman learned the next day that the bicycle had been returned to Target by Ho in exchange for a gift card. The bicycle had been returned to the store around 30 minutes after it was stolen.

Video showed a man identified as Ho returning the bicycle and leaving in a white, newer-model minivan.

Police said, "Tony Ho was identified through Facebook still shots taken from the video that went viral. Investigators were able to positively match the name and information that was given to us by a citizen to the offender in the video."

At the jail, Ho gave his address as 1332 Chase Meadows Dr. in Hixson. 

Police listed him at 1614 Adair Ave. in East Ridge.

The story was featured in many outlets across the country and world, including People's Magazine and the London Daily Mail.

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