WATCH: The Nanaimo Minor Baseball Association is speaking out about the recent string of thefts they’ve been victim to. Their offices and concession stand have been broken into three times over the past six weeks. Kendall Hanson reports.
Young baseball players are taught about stealing bases but those at Nanaimo Minor Baseball Association are learning about a very different and hurtful kind of theft.
This past week they have fallen victim to thieves for the third time in six weeks.
“It’s hard to even fathom that they’d come in and take from the kids because that’s what they’re doing,” said Glenn Buckle, the association’s vice president. “They’re stealing from kids that are four-years-old to 18-years-old. Everything that is in here is for minor baseball.”
The thefts happened from the association’s space in the Rotary Field House at Nanaimo’s Third Street Park. During the most recent break-in sometime Wednesday night thieves cut through the drywall from a public washroom, to get into the association’s concession stand. They also pried the door off the office.
“That’s all we do it for is for the kids and to have people come in and constantly breaking in and taking everything is very frustrating,” said Buckle.
During Wednesday’s break-in, the thieves took a Toshiba laptop, some cash and a red portable barbecue.
But the most valuable items stolen were five one of a kind collector baseball jerseys, owned by a former major league baseball scout who now coaches for the association.
“The electronics are probably gone, the cash, of course, is spent but the baseball shirts we’ve got to get back,” said Cst. Gary O’Brien of Nanaimo RCMP in an interview Friday. “They can’t be bought. They were given to him when he went to different countries and did work and scouting for professional athletes.”
“Some of them are priceless,” said Buckle.
The baseball association says after the three strikes they’re hoping the City will also beef up the building’s security to keep the thieves out.
For more details about the stolen items, you can check the Nanaimo RCMP release here.
Kendall Hanson
