Thieves hit CUMC Garden, KAMA; community help sought
Community assistance is being sought following two recent incidents of equipment theft.
A service trailer, used specifically for the Concord United Methodist Community Garden, and a school bus servicing Knoxville Academy of Martial Arts, were both stolen in recent weeks. While the KAMA bus was recovered, it was heavily vandalized and damaged, and the trailer has not yet been found.
CUMC’s trailer
The dual axel 16-foot open trailer “stayed at the church garden (alongside the church at 11020 Roane Drive) and was used either for the garden, or to help the church haul large items, such as furniture or railroad ties,” said church member Tracy Brison, who had purchased the trailer second-hand less than a year ago from a fellow parishioner.
It was stolen sometime over Thanksgiving weekendlast November, but church officials are hoping someone may have witnessed either the theft or receipt of the trailer.
“It was really good-sized,” Brison said. “It could be used as either an equipment trailer or a car hauler. It has a hitch lock, so someone had to come ready to break it off, and it really had to have taken some effort.
“We thought maybe if we put it in the (farragutpress) maybe someone saw it, or someone could identify something, to maybe lead to its recovery.”
Brison said the trailer was more than 20 years old and didn’t have a serial number or any other way to identify it, such as a title or tags.
He said a police report was filed at the time of the incident.
“We are really missing it and would love to see it returned,” he added.
KAMA’s bus
The bus — one of eight servicing hundreds of students at the studio owned by Robert Butturini — was stolen earlier this month. But thanks to an observant Hardin Valley resident, it was fairly quickly located.
“They did a lot of damage and vandalized it,” Butturini said. “I have a real feeling we should be able to repair it and be able to use it again eventually.
“Because it is so large, the mechanic has to work on it outside the actual shop, and it’s been too cold to have the complete damage assessed, but I have a real feeling we should be able to repair it,” he added.
Since it was an older model school bus, Butturini didn’t have full coverage insurance.
“It never occurred to me someone would steal a school bus,” he said.
Megan Belcher, whose son is one of Butturini’s students, started a Go Fund Me account to raise money for the repairs — and as of Saturday, Jan. 22, $3,700 had been raised.
In addition to this latest incident, Butturini said he has endured vandalism and damage to every one of his business’ buses — with rampant catalytic converter thefts plaguing many businesses.
“We have had 15 catalytic converters stolen, which have cost $15,000 to $20,000 to replace,” he reported.
Fortunately, Butturini said he has been operating the transportation portion of the business “on a back-up plan we already had in place.
“We pick up hundreds of kids from school. If we didn’t have some kind of back-up plan, those 40 or so kids and their parents who rely on us would just have to find another mode of transportation,” he said. “That’s not the case right now — we didn’t miss a beat.
“But if something else happens, we don’t have a back-up plan for the back-up plan.”
While thankful for the person who reported the bus theft, which ensured its return, Butturini said he is disappointed with the fallout caused by persistent thefts.
“When you have small businesses and churches, just trying to help others, trying to do the right thing and better the community, then to have people steal from us where we keep having set back after setback, it’s just so frustrating,” he said.
“I will say, though, our community has really stepped up — and stepped up big — and helped us so much, bringing everything back into the light.
“I am truly grateful for that.”
Anyone with any tips on the missing trailer may contact CUMC by calling 865-966-6728; Knox County Sheriff’s Office at 865-215-2243 or Brison at 865-963-5083.
To donate to KAMA bus repairs, visit www.gofundme.com/f/repairs-for-vandalized-childcare-bus
