People who used to live near the woman accused of stealing Christmas decorations in Parker County say they are not surprised by her arrest.
Parker County sheriff's deputies arrested Dana Brock on Wednesday, a day after the department released surveillance video of a woman stealing a wreath and lights from a home in Aledo in the middle of the night.
"I'm not surprised that she would do that," said Chris Stoner, who lives near Brock's mother. "I would be surprised if anyone in their right mind would do that on Christmas, to just steal. How much is a decoration worth? It's just ridiculous."
Brock has a lengthy criminal history and had numerous run-ins with police in Hurst, where she used to live.
Hurst police said their database shows that Brock was contacted by officers 15 times. Since January 2003, officers have responded to Brock's mother's home near Billy Creek Estate Park 27 times.
Stoner said one of the incidents stood out to him. He recorded a hazardous material incident in August 2011 near his home. Stoner said Brock was carrying a chemical drum of some kind up the street when it fell off the trailer. She and someone else then tried to pull it up the street.
Hurst police confirmed the incident, saying it tore up the street. They said Brock was arrested on suspicion of criminal mischief but were not sure what became of the charge.
Three different fire agencies responded, with crews in full hazardous-materials gear to inspect the drum.
No hazardous materials were found.
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Stoner said he can recall several incidents during which police were called out.
"You would just hear fights, just loud arguments, all the time," he said.
Stoner and other neighbors said Brock lived there on and off with her mother and grandmother. They said she ran a handyman or landscaping business out of the home, but no one could recall the name of it.
No one answered the door Thursday afternoon.
Parker County investigators on Thursday showed NBC 5 piles of lights and cords they say came from just two homes -- the one where she was arrested on Wednesday and a home in Hurst.
A resident there contacted Parker County investigators to say that Brock had put up lights believed to be stolen at the home.
Sheriff's investigators said they're still tying Brock to the reported thefts and would like victims to identify their stolen property. They are asking that anyone who had lights put up by Brock contact them.
Police also recovered a laptop stolen from Johnson County but have not tied the theft to anyone as of yet.
Stoner said he was more surprised to read of Brock's criminal background than this week's arrest.
"It just blew my mind to have somebody like that in my neighborhood," he said. "We're a really quiet, close-knit neighborhood. To find that out -- I was astonished."
Stoner said he wonders if she may have committed crimes in his neighborhood but said he hopes the Christmas thefts are the last crimes.
"Hopefully, they lock her up and keep in her prison," he said.
Brock faces two charges of theft of property. She was arraigned Thursday an dremains in the Parker County jail.
Hurst police said they didn't know of the allegations against Brock, including the home in Hurst that had stolen lights, until officers read about them in the paper.
