We'll call him the Light Bandit. He's been stealing solar-powered lights off of people's front yards in recent weeks.

These lights are the ones on the end of a stake that you can conveniently push into your lawn; they draw power from the sun during daylight hours and provide a nice glow when it's dark.

The lamps come in many popular designs, such as pumpkins or ghosts, that may be extra appealing during the Halloween season and may add to the desirability of the lamps among thieves.

The Utica Police Department usually attributes this type of crime to pranks or kids' scavenger hunts, but there's been such a string of this type of crime, it seems unlikely it's just minors messing around.

According to a report by WKTV's Gary Liberatore, one Utica family living on Conkling Avenue has surveillance footage of a thief with a lamp in each hand.

The Utica Police are searching for any further leads that may help them apprehend the criminal or criminals. Reach out to the UPD at 315-223-3510.

It is interesting how these crimes seem to happen in patterns and trends--for a while it's copper pipe, or manhole covers, and now the hot item seems to be solar-powered lawn lights.

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