GALT — The CHP is searching for a stolen trailer that contained awards, audio-visual equipment and thousands of Disneyland tickets.
There was a rush to replace the awards, plaques and pictures that were stolen early Wednesday. The items were on their way to Anaheim for this weekend’s 90th Annual State Future Farmers of America Convention.
“We’re all devastated about it. I just can’t imagine somebody coming and hauling off a trailer like that,” said Paula Maita.
Maita, a business owner, said she got a call that thieves had stolen a trailer from the FFA headquarters in Galt. The FFA needed her help to replace the awards.
Captured on surveillance cameras a lone truck is seen pulling into the parking lot around 3 a.m. on Wednesday. In just five minutes, it, along with thousands of dollars worth of electronics, FFA merchandise and 8,000 Disneyland tickets would be gone.
“It was a lot of disappointment,” said Executive Director of the California FFA Matt Patton. “A lot of people spent a lot of time putting all the information and all that material together.”
Patton said he and other staff members worried what this could mean for this weekend’s monumental event.
“It’s really been a community effort. People just jumped in, working feverishly to make sure that we can make this conference happen,” Patton said.
Patton told FOX40 other FFA groups, community members and business owners, like Maita, have all pitched in to help. A theft that would have otherwise meant thousands of disappointed hardworking students is now a minor hiccup.
“All of the materials, the merchandise is going to be basically useless to whoever took the trailer,” Patton said. “We would really like to get that back because that’s going to add to the experience for our students.”
For Maita, replacing the items means passing on the life lessons she and her family learned through the FFA for the past 40 years.
“It’s not cows and plows. It is leadership. It is public speaking. It is learning to do the best you can possibly do,” Maita said.
Maita said they will continue to work to replace the awards that were stolen throughout the weekend.
As for the tickets, Disneyland has digitally canceled them, making them unusable, and will reprint them for the FFA Foundation. The CHP is now warning the public to be cautious when buying Disneyland tickets from a local seller.
If you have any information regarding the suspect or the theft you are encouraged to call the CHP’s South Sacramento office at 916-681-2300.
