FESTUS, Mo. – The heart of Boy Scout Troop 426 was stolen overnight.
“When it came to camping, it was like the heart of where we got our supplies and stuff,” said Connor Mooney, member of Boy Scout Troop 426. “I honestly couldn’t believe it.”
The theft happening last month at the Elks Lodge in Festus. The troop noticed their supply trailer missing from its usual spot; unfortunately, right in time for camping season.
“It’s really sad. They weren’t able to do anything last year because of COVID,” Teal Dontrich said. “Now they are just getting started, getting camping going again, and they don’t have anything to do that with.”
After COVID-19 setbacks, the troop was ready to get back out in the woods for the first time in over a year.
“It was already kind of tough because we had to make up for last year, not being able to camp, but now that we got this crutch ahead of us we got to push a little bit more harder,” Mooney said.
But the group is blazing new trails, brainstorming fundraising ideas, and setting up a GoFundMe page. They’ve raised more than $1,400 as of Tuesday afternoon.
“We figure it’s probably going to be right around $10,000,” said Tom Dontrich, assistant scoutmaster of Troop 426.
The trailer and supplies are clearly identifiable by the logo and troop number displayed on the back. Cameras recording in the Elks Lodge parking lot do not clearly showing the crime.
The group filed a police report, but there are no leads thus far. If you spot this trailer or have any information, call the Crystal City Police Department.
