Thieves Steal $5,000 Of Donations Meant For Veterans

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Thousands of dollars worth of donations meant to help military veterans are gone after thieves hit the Stand Down Warehouse at McClellan Business Park.

"This is personal."

Randy Smith is having a hard time holding back the tears.

"It just hurts, and I take it personal because I'm a disabled vet myself."

He struggles to describe the losses.

So far more than $5,000 of clothing, hygiene kits and camping gear for homeless veterans is now gone.

"Every time something like this happens, it whittles away at what we are able to give."

Randy says at first, he didn't notice anything was wrong. It was a pair of boots in the middle of the warehouse that were out of place that tipped him off.

"When I saw that, I looked at our connex boxes and saw them all empty with stuff strewn all over.

Thieves broke in through a back door of the warehouse in the middle of the night.

"I noticed sunlight coming from the door."

Unfortunately this is not the first time Sacramento Stand Down has had to regroup after a break-in.

"Last year, we experienced a theft on the Camp Pollock grounds, and they got between $35,000 and $40,000 worth of electronic equipment."

It's the second veterans charity hit in the area this week. A Citrus Heights nonprofit was robbed of $5,000 of equipment to help veterans recover from PTSD.

Bigger bolts and locks have since been installed to prevent a third Stand Down break-in, but Randy says there's not much they can do to replace what was stolen.

"These are people that basically went to war for us, and they defended this nation, and all we are trying to do is give back to those that are needier than most."

Many of the items taken were business clothes for homeless women, so they have something nice to wear for job interviews.

So far, police have no suspects.