Topeka Habitat for Humanity tool trailer stolen
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Topeka Habitat for Humanity's tool trailer was stolen from a construction site just before 3 a.m. on Friday morning.
Surveillance video from a nearby building showed what appears to be a blue Dodge truck with gray trim hauling the trailer off of the site just north of the Topeka Country Club in south Topeka.
The trailer holds tools that workers and volunteers use to build homes. Organization leaders said, in total, it could be worth more than $45,000. The doors and the hitch on the trailer had locks on them, and multiple tires were booted.
"It really impacts us as a non-profit in our ability to recover from things like this," said Janice Watkins, CEO of Topeka Habitat for Humanity.
The current construction site, that is the future home of four Habitat houses, has been targeted by thieves in the past.
"We would hope that whoever took it, please just return it to us, this is such an important part of the work that we do," Watkins said.
The trailer, and tools inside, are marked with Habitat writing. Watkins hopes that everything is found, or returned, or building timelines could be delayed.
"We need to house this family that's been waiting for a home for over a year and a half, we hope this doesn't slow us down, we've received a lot of community support, people reaching out offering to lend tools to us while we try and recover from this event, but we are not going to be taken down by this. We're going to keep pressing on and try to do what we do," she said.