Playground equipment stolen from East Troy park returned
Updated: Aug. 19, 2024
WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Mystery solved. The toy train that disappeared from a playground in the Town of East Troy is back. Police say someone anonymously dropped it off Monday, Aug. 19.
"There was a lot of criticism for the individual that took it," said Chrystal Bishop, who lives nearby.
Social media blew up after someone swiped what was about to be the newest addition to the Jim Burns Memorial Park, with comments like, "come on, do better" and "what's wrong with people?"
"And kind of creating that indirect pressure that we better return this and get it done in a hurry," said Town of East Troy Police Chief Alan Gorecki.
Chief Alan Gorecki says the little red train was reported missing last week.
"And we checked the park and checked the area," said Chief Gorecki.
Park users tell us the red train had been sitting just off the walking path, several feet from where the rest of the new playground equipment had been installed weeks earlier.
"Everything was laying on the side over there for quite some time. So I understand why someone might have thought it was gonna be junked or thrown away," said Bishop.
But Highway Department Superintendent Todd Scheel says it should've been clear the little red train, shiny and new, was not being thrown away. It was part of the new installation that they'd repeatedly publicized on the town's Facebook page.
"Yeah, we published the heck out of it. This was actually separated from the concrete base. How somebody would've taken that it was junk just by looking at it, I don't know," said Scheel.
That security camera is facing the only way out of the park. After all of this, the chief says he'd like to install a camera right on the park.
"I was shocked when I walked out our shop door and seen it sitting there. I'm like hmm, pressure finally got to somebody. I'm just glad it's back. I'm glad the kids will be able to enjoy it," said Scheel.
Now that it's been returned, the case is closed.
"No questions asked. It was returned. It was returned in perfect condition, and it's been reinstalled at the park and the kids have already been playing on it," said Chief Gorecki.
Published: Aug. 15, 2024
WALWORTH COUNTY, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The Town of East Troy Police Department is asking for your help, as they believe someone may be behind the disappearance of a beloved toy at a public playground.
When crews tasked with replacing the equipment at the Jim Byrnes Memorial Park arrived for work earlier in the week, they noticed a red train toy that had been waiting to get reinstalled wasn't anywhere to be found.
"When we were starting to dig holes to set it up, we noticed that we were missing a piece," said Highway Dept. Superintendent Todd Scheel, who noted the toy is about two feet wide and two feet long.
That's when they decided to notify the nearby police department.
"I got a call from the highway shop supervisor, saying we're missing a train," recalled Chief Alan Gorecki. “I drove the park and then I walked some of the areas where I thought, eh, maybe they threw it back here hiding, just trying to play a prank on us, but we weren’t able to come up with it.”
So, he turned to Facebook, posting about the theft on social media to get the word out.
Gorecki noted that while the toy had been placed to the side of a trail surrounding the playground area, "it was pretty obvious it was in good working condition."
“If they thought it was set aside and gonna be placed in a trash, why not ask?" Gorecki said. "It's just not right."
Scheel agreed, adding that the park is a community hotspot for many.
“Seeing how many people use this park, I mean on a daily basis, people walking their dogs, people just out for a general walk," Scheel said. "How could somebody come and take something for a little kid?"
Police confirmed they have security camera footage that overlooks the park and that a dark SUV could be a potential suspect vehicle.
“We are working on it and if we do come up with the plate, we are going to pursue that," Gorecki said.
As for now? They're hoping someone will return the toy to its rightful spot.
“You’re hurting everybody else by taking it," Scheel said. "You’re taking some kid's joy away.”