Forsyth County

Boy Scout troop working to buy new trailer after someone stole theirs

CUMMING, Ga. — It took more a year for Boy Scout Troop 1109 of Cumming to build up their resources to buy a new trailer for all its camping equipment, only for it to be stolen last week.

Channel 2’s Wendy Corona met Wednesday with some of the troop members, who said the theft will not slow them down.

“I was first devastated, and then I thought it wasn't real, like is this April Fools?” Scout Caiden Spraetz said.

It was not a cruel joke but reality for the 25 boys who make up the troop. Someone stole a black trailer that held all the troop's equipment for camping, outings and community service.

“Because we're such a new troop, we don't have a permanent place to meet or store our things, so we kept everything in the trailer,” Scoutmaster Tom Gillon said.

More than $5,000 worth of gear was stolen. The trailer was kept at a storage facility off Buford Dam Road. When the troop went to get it last week, it wasn't there.

“Who would sink so low as to take from a Boy Scout trailer?” Spraetz said.

The black trailer was unmarked, which leads Gwinnett County Police Cpl. Deon Washington, a former Boy Scout, to believe that the thieves didn’t know to whom it belonged.

“It's possible that the (thieves) didn't even know that Boy Scouts equipment was in the trailer,” Washington told Corona.

In the wake of the theft, community members have come forward to help the troop.

“It's really heartwarming to see just how many have offered us help,” Gillon told Corona.

“It's taught us the lesson of generosity,” Spraetz said. “If I heard about somebody else that something got stolen from them, I probably would donate to them too.”

The troop has received donations from former Scouts and even troops out of state to help it replenish what it lost.

They have set up a GoFundMe page if you would like to help them.