Leigh’s Lost and Found: Help find the thief who stole a local dog rescue’s transport van

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) - In today’s Leigh’s Lost and Found, a local rescue needs your help to find a thief..

On Tuesday, 4 the Love of k9′s realized its transport van had been stolen. but thankfully, the community came together to help track it down.

“All of our rescue equipment is in it. Our crates, our shirts, our flea meds.”

4 the Love of K9 volunteer Rhonda Grojean says they went into a panic when they discovered their only van missing from the director’s Springfield driveway. The organization uses it to help rescue and transport dogs.

The rescue filed a police report and took to social media immediately to let people know about the theft. We shared it on the Leigh’s Lost and Found page as well, and with so many eyes looking out for it, someone found it a few blocks away from where it was stolen.

Rhonda says, “the person who drove it back says the van was making a noise. We’re not sure yet if anything is mechanically wrong with it. There’s a dent in the side where it might have been hit or they might have backed into something. I was not about to open the back of the van because if I would have, everything would have probably fallen out. It was tossed and turned from them driving all over.”

Amazingly, nothing was stolen from inside. Rhonda says they’re working with police to find out who’s behind the crime.

In the meantime, the rescue is working on better security for its only vehicle so it doesn’t become a target again. Rhonda says she’s disheartened that it was even a target in the first place.

She says, “it clearly says on the side that we are a rescue. We have literally on the side of the doors that we’re a rescue. Luckily we found it and nothing was stolen. Now we just have to make sure it’s operable to drive it to events. Hopefully, that’s the case.”

If you know anything about the theft call the Springfield police department. You can also reach out to 4 the Love of K9′s through its website.

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