HUFFMAN, Texas – A Huffman youth baseball team is trying to recoup the losses after at least $2,900 was stolen that should have helped cover costs for an upcoming tournament.
The incident happened Thursday around 11:45 a.m. just after assistant coach for the Huffman 12U All-Stars Marcus Thornton said he left a bank in Humble and stopped at a nearby restaurant on FM 1960 Bypass Road West for lunch.
“The guys that did it, they had a window punch. His alarm went off,” head coach Wayne West said. “It was a hit. They scoped him out.”
When Thornton returned to his car, thieves had broken the front passenger window of his truck and the money was gone, he said, believing he may have been followed.
In addition, he said the thieves took several of his son’s championship rings and checks that should have gone to other area youth sports teams or fine arts groups, as he runs a company that helps the groups raise funds.
“It just makes me mad and I feel like it makes all of us mad because that’s just wrong,” said Carter Harrell, who plays on the team.
Thornton reported the incident, believed to be a jugging, to Humble police. The department confirmed an investigation is underway and detectives are looking into the possibility that Thornton was followed from the bank.
The parking lot has a license plate reader however, the strip center where the break-in occurred doesn’t appear to have any exterior cameras.
The team tried to raise back some of the money Friday night at Swamp Donkeys in Kingwood, where the owner agreed to let the boys bus tables to start recouping the money. They also held a 50/50 raffle.
“I mean, it’s sad, it’s fun to be out here with my team, but I don’t think we should be out here,” player Ryan Durham said.
West said he’s aware that juggings have been happening across the Houston area and just saw an instance of it on the news earlier this week.
“You don’t realize until it happens to you, and it’s like, holy cow,” West said.