• Lexington County Sheriff/AP Photo
    7 of 10

    Columbia motorcycle kidnapping, 2006

    Santa has a hold over young children, but not all Kris Kringles have good intentions. When a family pulled up to a gas station in Columbia, South Carolina, they were met by a man named John Michael Barton in full Santa regalia driving a holiday-themed motorcycle.

    He asked the children if they wanted to come see the stuffed Rudolph he had in the sidecar, then grabbed the eight year old girl and sped off with her. The panicked father gave chase at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour, running him into a parking lot and getting his little girl back. Barton was arrested a few days later, hiding out in a storage room at a local bar.