Police allege that a group of friends in Bedford County, Virginia, decided it would be fun to steal a local church’s nativity scene and pose for pictures with it, but the party ended when sheriff’s deputies arrested them.

A concerned citizen called the Bedford County Sheriff’s Crime Stopper phone line and tipped them off to the Christmas caper.

John Killgo, Scott Cooley and Matthew Barringer -- all age 19 -- are charged with grand larceny, felony property damage, trespassing on church property after dark and two counts of contributing to a minor.

The two juveniles involved are charged with grand larceny, felony property damage and trespassing on church property after dark. The juveniles’ faces in the picture are distorted to protect their identities.

Deputies say the suspects may have destroyed the figures. The church estimates the value of the 12 stolen figures to be between $2,000 and $2,500.