UPDATE 9:18 p.m. | Boy Scout Troop 495's trailer was recovered tonight after 41 Action News reporter Andres Gutierrez's story aired in the 5 p.m. newscast.
“Great news," Troop 495 Scoutmaster Chris Conner told Gutierrez. "After your wonderful broadcast, multiple people called and the police went out and recovered our trailer! It is now back in our possession. 90% of the stuff is still in it and whatever is missing is trivial. Thank you again so very very much for putting the word out. You guys are awesome.”
6:15 p.m. | Leaders of Boy Scout Troop 495 in the Northland are planning for this weekend's camping trip, but have an unfortunately hurdle to overcome.
"It might turn into a survival campout, where you go and you bring your own tarp and you bring your own food," Troop 495 Scoutmaster Chris Conner said.
Conner told 41 Action news someone stole the Troop 495 trailer from the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church parking lot.
"People steal things all the time, but you stole a Boy Scout trailer from a church, and we don’t understand it," said Brian Ericksen, the chartered organization representative for Troop 495.
The trailer contained camping gear and other equipment, which belonged the troop's 40 scouts and their chaperones.
"A lot of it is 10 years old," Eriksen said. "We’ve got some new tents, we’ve got some new stoves, we’ve got some new propane tanks, but a lot of it is not worth anything to anybody but us."
Initially, leaders thought the trailer was out for repairs until Monday night.
"We didn’t immediately think that something was wrong, and so it wasn’t until all the adults got together and realized nobody has a trailer, that it is truly is gone, we said, 'Oh, my gosh, our trailer is gone.'"
Troop 495 filed a police report and has blasted photos of the trailer on social media with the hope someone spots it and helps recover the trailer and its contents, which is valued at $10,000 to $12,000.
"There’s at least two decades worth of memories in it, so the memories are still with us," Conner said. "The equipment is gone, but the equipment is replaceable. Thankfully, no one was injured or hurt that we know of."
Anyone with information regarding this theft is asked to Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department or the Tips Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (8477).
