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WEST POINT, Davis County — Boy Scout Troop 62 found reason to celebrate Thursday, as a good Samaritan returned some of the camping equipment stolen from a trailer earlier this week.
The trailer was taken from a church parking lot at 852 W. 300 North in West Point. Later found in Ogden, the trailer's locks had been broken and its contents emptied.
"It was parked behind some apartments, abandoned, and it was basically empty. There was some junk left in it, that's all," said Doug Bunot, Scoutmaster for Troop 62.
Though Bunot had to make some repairs, he was happy to get at least some tents and gear back inside — and that's thanks to Ogden resident Ryan Dunham.
"We had mentioned that we were looking to find some Dutch ovens and stuff like that," Dunham said.
His family is planning to hit the road for the Fourth of July, which is why he bought some new camping equipment.
"They were really nice tents, and we were looking forward to taking them up camping with us this weekend," Dunham said.
But when he learned about stolen trailers belonging to nearby Scout troops, he grew suspicious and got in touch with the leaders.
"He described everything I had in my garage perfectly, so I was like, 'I have your stuff,'" Dunham said.
"I didn't know what we were going to do. We've got to have some tents for these guys," Bunot said. "They talk about it all year long, going to camp."
Bunot calculates the thieves took $3,500 in gear from the trailer — jeopardizing summer camp for his special needs Scouts. While he was grateful to be loading returned equipment into his trailer Thursday, he still worries about what’s missing.
"We had three tents returned out of nine. We had one of our camp stoves returned, one Dutch oven out of four, two camp chairs," he said. "Please, if you do have (the equipment), give it back to us."
As for Dunham, he’s spreading the word about the remaining stolen items and is raising money with a GoFundMe account* for the Scout troops, starting with a $500 donation from his company.
"I was a Boy Scout myself, so I know what this means," Dunham said. "It's hard to describe the tingly feeling you get when you help someone and they are just thankful. I mean, they were in tears when I gave it back."
Police are investigating this trailer theft and another out of Clinton, working to narrow in on possible suspects.
Troop 62's camp starts on Aug. 8, so they’ve got more time to secure the equipment they need.
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*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
