A Kansas Boy Scout troop returned to their utility trailer, only to find that the seven- by 14-foot vehicle had been stolen out of a church parking lot at 99th Street and Holmes Road in the metro area.
Joe Nastasi, one of the troop leaders of Boy Scout Troop 62, estimates that the trailer contained around $10,000 in tools and camping items — not including the cost of the trailer itself. Naturally, Nastasi and the troop are devastated.
According to Nastasi, elders at the Holmeswood Baptist Church let the scouts store the trailer on their parking lot. The trailer was even decked out with anti-theft devices, such as a large hitch lock. But despite the protection, thieves still managed to take the trailer.
“It appears they must have used some kind of sledgehammer to bust that open. We found part of that mechanism on the ground over here. They had to work on it pretty good, we believe,” Nastasi said. “To me, it’s one of the lowest things people can do, stealing from children.”
Nastasi also told Fox 4 Kansas City that the trailer contained tents and tools that have been used for decades. With 85% of campers getting their first camping experience between the ages of one and 15, camping as a Boy Scout is often a formative and important experience for many of these young troop members. To boot, this $5 billion industry teaches countless life lessons to growing children.
This isn’t the first time that the troop has been targeted by thieves. Years ago, Troop 62 lost a small flatbed trailer.
But this particular theft couldn’t have come at a worse time, as the troop, consisting of 27 teenage scouts, is set to go on three campouts between now and mid-June.
Scout leaders have taken action by going to local media outlets and have established an account to which donations for replacement items can be made.