Boy Scout Troop 426, sponsored by the Festus-Crystal City Elks Lodge 1721, is trying to rebound from the theft of its trailer and much of its camping gear, assistant scoutmaster Tom Dontrich said.
The trailer was parked on the Elks Lodge grounds, No. 4 Elks Acres, in Crystal City, when it was stolen. The exact date of the theft is not known, but the theft was reported April 20, Crystal City Police reported.
“Elks’ leaders reported the trailer missing,” Capt. Mike Pruneau said. “An Elks’ employee last saw it there April 15.”
As of Tuesday (May 18), the trailer had not been recovered, no arrests had been made and the investigation was ongoing, Pruneau said.
He said surveillance footage from the area has not helped in the investigation.
Dontrich said the theft greatly hurt the troop.
“It’s a 16-foot trailer, white, with a Boy Scouts logo,” Dontrich said. “It had a good amount of our camping gear in it.”
He estimated the value of the trailer and its contents at $10,000.
“This cripples us,” Dontrich said. “We can’t camp without it. We’ve never had anything like this happen before. We have a camping trip scheduled in the next couple of weeks. We’re scrambling to be able to have it.”
He said Troop 426 is soliciting donations to replace the stolen items through a GoFundMe account (search Boy Scout Troop 426) and other sources. To donate or for more information, call 314-799-8857.
“We’ve collected about $5,000 so far,” Dontrich said Tuesday. “The Elks donated $3,000 toward replacing the gear.”
Anyone with information about the theft is urged to call Crystal City Police at 636-937-4601.