WASHINGTON – Police say real-life Grinches broke into the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree warehouse and stole presents just days before the gifts were to be delivered to thousands of low-income children in the D.C. region.
“This could not have come at a worse time,” says Ken Forsythe, spokesman for the Salvation Army National Capital Area.
Around 9 a.m. Saturday, some Salvation Army employees arrived at the warehouse on 8th Street in Southeast and discovered two teenagers inside.
D.C. police Lt. Sean Conboy said a teen boy and a teen girl were arrested on burglary charges. Conboy said police were looking for three other suspects.
Portable electronics, toys, clothes, bicycles, and a Salvation Army laptop were among the items stolen. The Angle Tree gifts would have been distributed on Thursday to about 6,000 children.
“We had already been counting all the bags and receiving gifts from sponsors throughout the last two weeks leading up to the distribution of these toys,” Forsythe says. “But rest assured, we will make sure that every child that was registered to receive toys through the Salvation Army Angel Tree program will receive toys this year and have something to open on Christmas.”
The Salvation Army does not have a permanent warehouse for Angle Tree so they lease space to store the gfits during the holiday season. A security guard monitors the space during operational hours and the building has motion sensors.
In light of this incident, the Salvation Army will beef up security measures at an additional cost. “We will have around-the-clock security,” Forsythe says. “We will take whatever precautions necessary so that this doesn’t happen again.”
The Salvation Army has vowed to replace the stolen items so no child will be left without a present. To donate toys or money to help recover some of the losses, people can mail a check, make a donation online, or at a Salvation Army Red Kettle.
Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals are encouraging fans to bring MP3 players, Kindles, tablets and other electronic items to the Winterfest toy drive on Sunday. The donations would be used to replenish the warehouse, a spokeswoman for the team said.
Southeast DC’s Salvation Army has rows of bags full of toys for kids….teens allegedly took much of it @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/EAFCJMnOYP
— Matt Yurus (@Matt_Yurus) December 13, 2015
