Florida mom arrested by The Grinch after she allegedly lied about thief stealing her kids’ presents
She nearly got away with stealing Christmas.
A Florida mother of five who received donations after a burglar supposedly stole her children’s Christmas gifts was outed as a liar and taken into custody — with The Grinch dancing along to her arrest.
Shana Hudson, 39, broke the hearts of her kind neighbors when she appeared on TV weeks ago to share her story of how a burglar broke into her Lehigh Acres home and made off with her children’s gifts.
The community rallied behind the family and donated several new gifts to the children, but then a tip came in to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office accusing Hudson of fabricating the story.
The stolen gifts were eventually found hidden at a relative’s home, so the sheriff’s department decided to teach Hudson a lesson about being a Grinch, with help from the original, NBC 2 reports.
“Riiiing Riiiing… Hey Shana, Who-ville Called, they want their Grinch back,” the LCSO posted on Facebook along with a video of the humiliating arrest.
It features clips from Hudson’s original story begging the burglar to turn himself in, only for it to be cut straight to her arrest with police carrying her to the back of a van as someone dressed as The Grinch followed behind.
The green Santa danced along to a remix of ” You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” as he mocked Hudson and pointed to the department’s “Marceno Motel Courtesy Shuttle,” a decorated van that carries suspects to the Lee County Jail.
The video also revealed that the stolen gifts were hidden behind a dryer at a relative’s home in Lehigh Acres.
Sheriff Carmine Marceno, for whom the shuttle is named, condemned Hudson’s alleged fraud and touted the Christmas-themed arrest.
“This pathetic behavior is unacceptable, especially given the circumstances this holiday season,” he said in a statement. “This woman took advantage of the system and is now paying the price for her selfish choices.”
Hudson was booked at the county prison and charged with making a fraud-false report to law enforcement.
“This Grinch will have plenty of time to think twice about stealing Christmas,” the sheriff’s office said. “We think it’s safe to say, everyone in this county ‘hates, double hates, loathes’ a liar.
“We hope the motel accommodations are much better than her heart this Christmas.”
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for additional information.
