Latest local news, weather, high school sports in the Rio Grande Valley

HARLINGEN -- Christmas wasn't so merry for some Harlingen residents who were victims of the "Grinch."

"I just felt like...dude, they stole my stuff," said 8 year-old Daniel Villareal after he found out all his Christmas gifts were gone.

Harlingen police said that the 8-year-old boy and his family were not alone in Christmas gift crime wave.

"There was a lot of stuff taken," said Wayne Kuehler. "They stole all the presents under the tree, they stole a 52 inch flat screen."

Kuehler said burglars even stole the family's new puppy.

But these anonymous Christmas gift-stealing "Grinches" have a face: Juan Astello and Kidrick Winnfield.

"This is something that two individuals just decided to do and they started making money out of it so they went into it hard and heavy," said Harlingen Police Capt. Hector Leal.

The two men allegedly burglarized 12 homes stealing $60,000 dollars worth of property.

But Leal said a lot of the property has been recovered.

"Property that's been recovered is electronics, lawnmowers, there was a car even recovered as people might now there was a dog that was recovered," he said.

Both Astello and Winnfield were arraigned and face 12 counts of burglary of a habitation and it doesn't seem like they'll be out any time soon.

"Twenty-five thousand dollars for each count, which would be 300,000 bond on each individual," Capt. Leal said.

Harlingen people are maintaining an ongoing investigation into the alleged burglaries in order to recover more stolen property.

Anyone who may have been a victim of these two men, is asked to call the Harlingen Police Department's Burglary Unit at (956) 216-5441.