[Fireworks Recovered!] Three Male Juveniles Wanted For Theft of Fireworks From Church Fundraiser

UPDATE BELOW:

Original post:Three male juveniles in a white Ford dually pickup truck appear to be responsible for the theft of thousands of dollars of fireworks from a church fundraising booth in the Valley West Shopping Center, says Officer Jeremiah Kasinger of the Arcata Police Department (APD.) About 11:45 last night, he said, the APD was contacted with information about a break-in that was occurring right then. Officers hurried to the scene, said Kasinger, but were too late. The juveniles had fled. But not before making off with a large number of expensive fireworks.

“They got a couple of big firework boxes and more,” explained Mike Robinson, a spokesperson for the Catalyst Church. He described at least one mixing box that was 5′ x 2 1/2′ and weighed approximately 40 pounds as missing. He said that the fireworks were stored in a large container secured with cable and three locks which were disabled by bolt cutters.

“Right now we’re taking inventory to see what is missing,” he said. One item they have identified as missing is the Phantom Backyard Bash worth $600. The group which was planning to use the money raised to help “students from faith communities navigate the real world” at Humboldt State University is now worried about losing money on the booth. “The insurance policy doesn’t cover theft,” explained Robinson. “At this point, we’re hoping for a loss recovery instead of a fundraiser,” he said.

If anyone would like to help, please go down and purchase fireworks from the booth. “We’re going to need a lot of customers to make up for this,” he said quietly.

Any knowledge of where the fireworks might have gone? Or any other information about the theft that might help? Please contact Officer Kasinger at (707) 822-2428 extension #1192.

UPDATE 5:40 p.m.: According to Mike Robinson, the fireworks have been recovered. He said that they had finished inventorying and had discovered that over $6000 worth of items were missing. He was pretty worried about how they would deal when he received a call from APD with information that that fireworks had been recovered. Apparently, Robinson said, “One of the kids developed a conscience” or perhaps with information going out on social media “had a bout of enlightened self-interest.” In any case, law enforcement was contacted and the church has what they think is all or nearly all the fireworks back in their possession.

“The kids,” he said, “are looking at three felonies” for their part in what happened.