Reported By: Rob Hughes (rhughes@kswt.com)
Brawley, CA October 20- Thousands of dollars in items are stolen from a local Boys and Girls Club. Officials say it's a crime that steals from the future.
The Brawley Boys and Girls Club had just received a flat screen TV, Nintendo Wii, DVD player, and more for children to use, some of whom didn't have these items at home.
These children come to the club to do positive and constructive things. Officials say what the thieves stole is something you can't put a price on.
"When someone steals and takes from the Boys and Girls Club, they're taking a little from everybody," said Detective Cory Van Driessche with the Brawley Police Department.
Under the cover of darkness, police say thieves broke into the Brawley Boys and Girls Club through the main door and stole $2,600 worth of items last week.
"On Wednesday night of last week, an unknown subject, probably more than one, broke in through the front door of the Boys and Girls Club on South Plaza Drive in Brawley; they took several items from the store," said Driessche.
Among those items, a flat screen tv, Nintendo Wii, and DVD player for the kids. Driessche calls it a crime of opportunity, and believes those who did this are local.
"When you have an establishment like the Boys and Girls Club, obviously there's recreational things, recreational items inside the store that kids play with, so I think that whooever it was was specific in going to that location," said Driessche.
But as Lorena Mancha, Boys and Girls Club Program Director explains, the kids are the real victims.
"Truly it is a loss for the children because everything that was here, like the flat-screen tv, they just got it, that was all for them, the Wii, that was all for them, the VCR, the DVD player, all those things were for them," said Mancha.
Officials say the kids have already moved on to other things.
Meanwhile, Jade Security Systems has donated and installed an alarm system for the club, free of charge.
If you have any information, call the Brawley Police Department.
