$6K in equipment stolen from Little League in northwest Las Vegas

A northwest Las Vegas Little League said much than $6,000 successful instrumentality was stolen during a burglary this week.

“It’s incredibly frustrating due to the fact that we’re 3 weeks from the extremity of the season,” Mountain Ridge Little League President Jimmy Belanger said Friday. “Usually we interruption retired the scoreboards and audio instrumentality for starting lineups and the nationalist anthem for playoff games. It’ll beryllium truly difficult. It wont halt their play from going through, but it does enactment a small spot of damper connected the extremity of the season.”

Belanger said erstwhile a unpaid arrived astatine 4:45 p.m. Thursday to unfastened the snack bar, she recovered the deadbolt unlocked. Audio equipment, scoreboard controllers, a defibrillator, sweatshirts, currency and snacks were missing. Belanger estimated the nonaccomplishment astatine $6,500.

“That wasn’t high-end equipment, but it meant a batch to us,” helium said.

This fall, immoderate 470 kids betwixt 4 and 16 years aged stitchery play for games astatine Mountain Ridge Park, 7151 Oso Blanca Road.

An online fundraiser organized by parents was acceptable up Friday nighttime successful hopes of recovering immoderate of the costs. Organizer Kelly McCabe wrote successful the station that the league’s rules lone let 1 child-directed fundraiser annually.

“Many families see Mountain Ridge to beryllium a 2nd home,” McCabe wrote. “This robbery is perfectly heartbreaking! With playoffs lone a fewer weeks away, the league is hopeless to regenerate what was taken.”

Belanger said helium filed a constabulary study and plans to record an security claim. The park, which is operated by the metropolis of Las Vegas, does not person security cameras. In a connection Friday, Belanger wrote that the squad is grateful for the constabulary progressive successful the investigation.

“We would similar to radiance the airy connected the accrued transgression successful our valley, arsenic good arsenic helping our league with raising funds to re-purchase the items we lost,” helium wrote. “We would besides similar to widen our gratitude and appreciation to our section Heroes, our Law Enforcement Officers who are doing an outstanding occupation successful our metropolis each azygous day. We admit each they bash to support america safe.”

Data from the Metropolitan Police Department shows burglaries are up 15 percent successful northwest Las Vegas compared with this clip past year.

Parent registration fees screen astir 80 percent of the league’s expenses. The remainder comes from 2 yearly fundraisers and concessions.

A 2014 Mountain Ridge squad made Las Vegas history erstwhile it was named the U.S. champion of the Little League World Series, aft a Chicago squad was dethroned for utilizing ineligible players.

Contact Sabrina Schnur astatine sschnur@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur connected Twitter.