Multiple reports of Santa Claus sightings in Decatur County Thursday night have led local law enforcement officials to estimate he was in Southwest Georgia between 1:45 a.m. and 1:52 a.m., Bainbridge Public Safety and the Decatur County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday.

“Lots of residents were reporting on streaks of light coming down from the sky,” DCSO Deputy Sheriff Wendell Cofer said. “Others have talked about noises on their roof and the sound of bells.”

A Brinson resident called in to DCSO referring to a burglary in their house, but all that was missing was milk and cookies. Additionally, new gifts not wrapped by the homeowners were discovered under their Christmas tree.

“One woman swore it was aliens, but we figured it was Ole St. Nick,” Cofer said, “so we called off the investigation.”

Other residents in the county reported dogs barking nonstop throughout the night. Witnesses also talked about waking up to find unusual deer droppings in their yard.

“These people say their dogs always go crazy when they see other animals at night like deer,” Cofer said. “We’re drawing the conclusion that it was Santa’s reindeer setting these dogs off.”

BPS Captain Mark Esquivel was called out to residencies in West Bainbridge to investigate a large suspect carrying an even larger bag around 1:48 a.m., right around the time of the estimated Santa activity in Bainbridge.

Esquivel patrolled the area, but wasn’t able to spot the suspect. However, he did find sugar cookie crumbs and traces of sprinkles outside a home on Bethel Road.

“We receive calls like this often, especially around the holidays with homes being more tempting for thieves. Based on the evidence I collected, I think it’s safe to say there was no real threat in the area,” Esquivel said, smiling.

According to BPS incident reports, the last home to report any early morning disturbances belonged to Bainbridge City Manager Chris Hobby.

“There was a bunch of coal in my stocking,” Hobby said.