KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thousands of dollars in lawn equipment have been stolen from teens in the Boy Scouts of America program.
Over the weekend, thieves targeted a shed behind the Good Shepherd Community of Christ Church on Blue Ridge Boulevard. At least $16,000 worth of lawn equipment that belongs to Venturing Crew 2334 was taken.
Bruce Reed, a committee member for Venturing Crew 2334, said the loss is a “huge hit.”
“It took us years to get all that equipment," Reed said. "We had that big 61-inch mower, which is hard to even get out the door. It takes the full door — right behind that was a 50-inch zero turn mower. And then we had gas cans along the side."
Mary Healzer, a supporter of Venturing Crew 2334, said she hopes the culprits are caught.
"To see this happen to such a worthy organization is appalling,” Healzer said.
The scout group used the now-stolen equipment to mow the church's grass weekly to earn money.
"They used those funds to go on the camping trips on the weekends and to save for high adventure trips in the summertime," Reed said.
With this theft, their upcoming summer trip to South Dakota now is in jeopardy. But it's not the first time the group has been hit.
"We had our troop trailer stolen once,” Healzer said. “We've had a break-in [in] the shed before, we did put the chain link fence around it after one of the break ins, but I guess where there's a will there's a way, and the crooks don't have anything better to do than to steal from an organization who tries to help the youth.”
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call Kansas City, Missouri, police or the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS.
