Have You Seen This Winged Demon?

Berkley resident Kyle Kleckner is offering a reward for the return of his treasured red winged demon decoration that was stolen last week from the Halloween display in his yard.

The demon was taken between 9 p.m. Oct. 18 and 1 a.m. Oct. 19 from Kleckner's lawn in the 2400 block of Royal, according to a report he filed with the Berkley Public Safety Department.

A flier seeking the demon's return reads as follows.

"Some lowlife(s) took my Winged Demon from my yard with a strobe light on 10/18/12. I would like my demon back! He has been a part of my Halloween Display for the past 4 years. He is no longer available from Spirit Halloween where I purchased him. Should you see one on display in somebody's house or yard, and it wasn't there until just recently, it is most likely the one taken from my yard."

Kleckner said Spirit Halloween no longer is selling the decoration that he valued at $150. The only one he could find online was for a starting bid of $135 on eBay, with pickup in Ohio, he said.

"Shipping costs from UPS ran upwards of $160 which would have made the final price for the demon run over $300," Kleckner wrote in an e-mail to Berkley Patch. "Driving to Milan, Ohio, while my wife is still recovering from her surgery, was out of the question.

"In the meantime, I have found and bought a 'Corpse Torso' which my wife described 'is very disgusting looking' that will go out in place of the demon," he wrote. "But sadly, not until Halloween."

Kleckner said he also won't display a valuable skeleton that is normally part of the display until Halloween for fear that it, too, would be taken.

"I would definitely cough up about $100," for the demon's safe return, Kleckner said.

The demon was a gift to Kleckner, whose birthday is Oct. 24, just before his favorite holiday – Halloween.

"I love Halloween. I live for Halloween," he said. "To me, it's always been one of the most fun times of the year."

Kleckner said his basement is packed with decorations that he uses to adorn the inside and outside of his home, to the delight of his neighbors.

"It just started out small and, each year, I would add a little bit to it," Kleckner said of the ghoulish display on his lawn. "We get tons of compliments form all the parents, which is nice."

Detroit television station WJBK Fox 2 even did its weather forecast from Kleckner's display one year, he said.

The demon is the "centerpiece" of one side of the yard, Kleckner said.

"He's so creepy looking that my wife doesn't even want to be in the same room with him," he said.

Kleckner said that, even if the demon does not turn up in time for this Halloween, he will not give up trying to find the decoration until its is returned, even if it takes years.

"I'm actually so ticked off by this. I don't want this person to think they can just take this and enjoy it. I want them to face the heat," Kleckner said. "I'd be happy if they just drove past my house and threw it on my lawn. No questions asked – at least I'd have it back."

Anyone with information on the demon's whereabouts is asked to call Kyle Kleckner at 248-807-4176 or the Berkley Public Safety Department at 248-658-3380.