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Boy Scout trailer with thousands of dollars worth of camping gear stolen; third Scout targeted

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. — A local Boy Scout pack says thieves stole thousands of dollars’ worth of camping gear.

“I don’t know why somebody would take it,” said Cael Booth, a Boy Scout.

“We’ve worked so hard for what was in that trailer,” said Jason Goodwin, another Boy Scout.

The Scouts for Troop 506 in Clay County were about to go on a weekend camping trip.

“I showed up and there’s no trailer,” said Sonny LaFontaine, Scoutmaster with Troop 506.

But all their camping gear, everything you would need to go on a trip was gone.

“All the stuff we had in the trailer was raised by us and people in the community donating,” LaFontaine said.

LaFontaine said the trailer was parked in the back of a church parking lot in Middleburg – it was locked to a post. He said it had about $7,000 worth of camping gear in it.

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“You’re just stealing from kids that worked the hardest to earn this camping gear to do fun things as a kid,” Goodwin said.

There have been plenty of other disappointed Scouts over the last seven months. Just a couple of weeks ago, a troop on Old Middleburg Road had a trailer with thousands of dollars of equipment in it stolen. And in December, a troop in Orange Park had its trailer broke into. Both of those trailers were also parked on church properties.

“It makes me think that we are easy marks,” La Fontaine said.

LaFontaine said they’re now looking into adding a security camera. They're also looking at ways to replace the equipment.

“I’m not sure why you would take some important things from kids that they worked hard for,” Goodwin said.

These Scouts already know the value of hard work. But now they will have to work even harder to replace their stuff.

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