Thieves steal $12K in fireworks from Rio Linda little league booth
Volunteers hoped to fund equipment, uniforms
Rio Linda Little League is missing $12,000 worth of fireworks after thieves broke into their booth and storage container and made off with the merchandise.
The break-in happened either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning near the intersection of M Street and Rio Linda Boulevard.
The organization hoped to use the money raised from the Fourth of July fundraiser to help pay for the eight boys and girls all-star teams.
“That’s a lot of money that we don’t have to buy equipment, uniforms, just the little things that you need to run a Little League,” volunteer John Todd said.
At a time when many kids would rather stay indoors than go outside, Todd believes Little League provides the community a valuable resource. To him, stealing from it is unconscionable.
“To not have the conscience that would prevent you from taking (this) fundraising opportunity away from kids, it’s really disappointing and I hope it weighs heavy on their conscience,” he said.
The thieves didn’t discriminate in what they took. Gone are the little sparklers worth just a few bucks, all the way up to the jumbo packs valued at $500.
Organizers have since added new cut-proof locks and are planning night patrols, where volunteers will both stay at the booth overnight and conduct regular drive-bys.
As word of the burglary got out, the community stepped up.
Rio Linda resident Ken Williams bought $100 worth of fireworks Wednesday after hearing about what happened.
"It means something, to the community and myself, and I want to make sure I have something to give to them,” Williams said.
The league initially hoped to raise upwards of $14,000 before the burglary. Now, if it only sells what’s left, it'll just about break even.
“You have people who come and do this type of stuff, it hurts the kids, that’s it,” said volunteer Lisa Gregory, whose two sons play Little League.
However, the league plans to order more fireworks, and hopes the community will respond in force as volunteers now work harder than ever to make sure the burglars don’t ruin summer ball.
“We want to make some money for the all-stars to recoup some of our costs,” Gregory said.