SAN ANTONIO -- A 29-year old suspect told reporters he needed money as he was placed in custody for the theft of a Boy Scout trailer.
Police say they caught him literally with paint on his hands, as officers acting on a tip arrested him as he was altering the color of the trailer outside his home.
‘It appeared that he was trying to repaint the trailer to change its appearance. He may have seen it on television,” said Sgt. Javier Salazar with the San Antonio Police Department.
Inside the trailer, the scout troop had been collecting camping equipment for the past seven years.
It all disappeared last week from the Community Bible Church’s parking lot on Loop 1604 and Gold Canyon Road.
Someone recognized the truck in the surveillance video and called in a tip to Crime Stoppers.
Police recovered the trailer and the goods inside it, including tents, coolers, propane tanks and other items, worth nearly $12,000.
“We have some pretty happy Boy Scouts at this point,” said Salazar.
The suspect indicated he planned to turn the stuff into cash, but appeared remorseful as he was loaded into a squad car.
‘You want to say sorry to them?” asked a reporter.
“Yeah, I will when I see them,” the suspect answered.
That could be a long time. Although the suspect has yet to see a magistrate judge to be officially charged with the theft, he could get 2 to20 years behind bars if convicted of the state jail felony.
