only in Santa Cruz...only at my school!
Rocket ship vanishes from Santa Cruz playground
By JENNIFER SQUIRES
The bright blue two-seater rocket with a silver nose disappeared last weekend from the playground at the school's new digs on High Street.
"It's not something that's easy to hide," Coastal Community teacher Kathleen Beaulieu said.
The fiberglass rocket -- thought to have once been part of an amusement park ride -- was donated to the preschool about two decades ago. But when the preschool was moving from its longtime location on 17th Avenue in Live Oak to a spot on the First Congregational Church property in Santa Cruz this month, the rocket fell off the radar.
"It was just 'dropped off' at the new location," Beaulieu said. "It wasn't there a day"
She reported it stolen on Thursday, according to Santa Cruz police Lt. Rick Martinez.
The rocket, about 2 feet tall and 5 feet long, weighed less than 100 pounds and wasn't anchored to the ground. Two people could probably carry it -- "one on each end" -- Beaulieu said. Taking it is felony grand theft, police said. Beaulieu did not have a dollar value for the rocket.
Both school officials and police suspect someone took the rocket as a joke. "Hopefully it's a student prank and the playground structure is returned quickly," Lt. Rick Martinez said.
Summer session for about 25 preschoolers starts today. The playground, with a climbing structure and sand box, will be lacking some spark with the rocket's absence.
"It was a big deal," Beaulieu said. "The kids used it to go wherever"
The preschool, which started in 2006 when Gateway Preschool closed, serves students ages 3-5. It relocated this month because the building on 17th Avenue was sold. Coastal Community had to be out by September.
Police asked that anyone with information about the stolen rocket ship call the investigations unit at 420-5820 or the anonymous tip line at 420-5995.
Rocket ship vanishes from Santa Cruz playground
By JENNIFER SQUIRES
The bright blue two-seater rocket with a silver nose disappeared last weekend from the playground at the school's new digs on High Street.
"It's not something that's easy to hide," Coastal Community teacher Kathleen Beaulieu said.
The fiberglass rocket -- thought to have once been part of an amusement park ride -- was donated to the preschool about two decades ago. But when the preschool was moving from its longtime location on 17th Avenue in Live Oak to a spot on the First Congregational Church property in Santa Cruz this month, the rocket fell off the radar.
"It was just 'dropped off' at the new location," Beaulieu said. "It wasn't there a day"
She reported it stolen on Thursday, according to Santa Cruz police Lt. Rick Martinez.
The rocket, about 2 feet tall and 5 feet long, weighed less than 100 pounds and wasn't anchored to the ground. Two people could probably carry it -- "one on each end" -- Beaulieu said. Taking it is felony grand theft, police said. Beaulieu did not have a dollar value for the rocket.
Both school officials and police suspect someone took the rocket as a joke. "Hopefully it's a student prank and the playground structure is returned quickly," Lt. Rick Martinez said.
Summer session for about 25 preschoolers starts today. The playground, with a climbing structure and sand box, will be lacking some spark with the rocket's absence.
"It was a big deal," Beaulieu said. "The kids used it to go wherever"
The preschool, which started in 2006 when Gateway Preschool closed, serves students ages 3-5. It relocated this month because the building on 17th Avenue was sold. Coastal Community had to be out by September.
Police asked that anyone with information about the stolen rocket ship call the investigations unit at 420-5820 or the anonymous tip line at 420-5995.
posted by el Craplastico | 7:57:00 AM
1 Comments:
Update: Hours after press, the fuzz called us and let us know that they recovered the rocket!
Apparently a mother had called and claimed her 15 year old son showed up with it last week. He said he saw it on the side of the road with a free sign on it.
Yesterday the police returned it to our site. The mothership is home.
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