Libertyville Officer Buys Boy Advent Calendar After Theft

LIBERTYVILLE, IL — It's not unheard of for packages left on doorsteps to be stolen during the holiday season. That is exactly what happened in recent weeks to a family in Libertyville.

Rochelle McKinnon Kruse says her sister sent her son an advent calendar, which was allegedly taken from their front porch in Libertyville. Kruse says when Libertyville Police Department Officer Dylan Valkenaar learned of the incident, he decided to bring over a new advent calendar for her 9-year-old son, Ryan.

Kruse said her son didn't realize at first that the calendar was new and thought Officer Valkenaar had actually "caught the bad guy." And had come to bring back the stolen calendar, Kruse told Patch.

"What an amazingly sweet gesture," Kruse wrote on her Facebook page.

Officials with the Libertyville Police Department also shared the post on the police department's Facebook page in recent weeks.

"These simple, but meaningful acts by police officers go on across the country every day, but few ever come to light. Great job Officer Valkenaar," according to the Libertyville Police Department Facebook post.