More fun than bongs and playstation
Police investigate Boulder High scavenger hunt
Police say high school seniors stole hundreds of items
By Vanessa Miller
Monday, May 19, 2008
Police are investigating a weekend scavenger hunt that involved Boulder High seniors who said they were commissioned to steal a variety of items, including license plates, children's bicycles, city signs, yard ornaments and restaurant menus.
Officers were called at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday to the Four Mile Creek trailhead on a noise complaint. When police arrived, they said they found teenagers speeding away in their cars and about 200 stolen items littering the area, said police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley.
Collecting the stolen property and bringing it back to the station took officers more than four hours, Huntley said.
Officers managed to stop seven teenagers, who Huntley said could face theft charges.
Two of the seven Boulder High students -- all of whom are male and age 17 or 18 -- were ticketed for underage drinking, Huntley said. None of their names has been released.
"I have no guess as to how many kids were involved," she said.
The students whom police detained provided officers with their scavenger-hunt instructions. But, Huntley said, the students wouldn't say who put them up to the late-night activity.
"The suspects told us they were participating in a scavenger hunt associated with the senior class of Boulder High," Huntley said.
According to the hunt instructions, the participating teens were grouped into teams of four or five people and told to steal a list of items over a two-hour period. They had to wear black, Huntley said.
"If encountering an authority figure, all knowledge of an organized event must be denied," the instructions read.
The rules also make clear that “everything must be stolen or taken from someone who’s not a participant.” And, the instructions add, “cheating will bestow on you a lifetime of humiliation and regret and earn you a tar and feathering.
“Should you be captured and killed,” the instructions say, “your team will be disqualified.”
All of the stolen goods were to be dropped off at the Four Mile Creek trailhead, north of the intersection of U.S. 36 and Broadway.
Stolen items listed on the instruction sheet - and which police found at the drop site - include an American flag, soccer goal nets, street signs, garden hoses, children’s bicycles, real estate signs, traffic cones, stacks of newspapers, syrup dispensers, lamps, chairs, yard decorations, restaurant menus, mail boxes and license plates.
Despite the race to flee the scene when police arrived, Huntley said one van of students couldn’t get everyone inside fast enough to speed away, and officers were able to stop them.
Later, while officers were loading up evidence at the drop-off point, two more car-loads of students pulled in. One of the vehicles got away, but the second was stopped by police.
“They weren’t arrested, but officers took down detailed information about them,” Huntley said. “It’s an open case.”
Boulder High Principal Bud Jenkins said Monday that he hadn’t yet heard about the investigation, and he couldn’t comment about possible school-enforced penalties for students who are found to have been involved in the weekend thefts.
“But kids who get suspended don’t participate in activities, and graduation is an activity,” Jenkins said. “That’s not a good deal for them.”
Jenkins said he doesn’t know if the scavenger hunt was some sort of senior prank.
“I wouldn’t be happy if Boulder High students were representing themselves in the community by stealing things,” he said.
Boulder artist Joshua Stevens, 50, is helping a family friend sell his home before it goes into foreclosure and said his “for sale by owner” sign was among those the students took. Stevens said he put the sign in his friend’s yard at 1895 Norwood Drive because the aging man has gone blind and needs help selling his property.
“This is not that harmless,” he said. “I’m all for good fun and being wild teenagers, but the scavenger hunts where you go door to door and ask for a hard-boiled egg is not the same as this.”
Stevens said police returned the sign Monday.
Everything officers recovered from the scavenger hunt is being held at the station, and anyone who’s missing something or wants to report a theft can contact police at 303-441-3333.
Police say high school seniors stole hundreds of items
By Vanessa Miller
Monday, May 19, 2008
Police are investigating a weekend scavenger hunt that involved Boulder High seniors who said they were commissioned to steal a variety of items, including license plates, children's bicycles, city signs, yard ornaments and restaurant menus.
Officers were called at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday to the Four Mile Creek trailhead on a noise complaint. When police arrived, they said they found teenagers speeding away in their cars and about 200 stolen items littering the area, said police spokeswoman Sarah Huntley.
Collecting the stolen property and bringing it back to the station took officers more than four hours, Huntley said.
Officers managed to stop seven teenagers, who Huntley said could face theft charges.
Two of the seven Boulder High students -- all of whom are male and age 17 or 18 -- were ticketed for underage drinking, Huntley said. None of their names has been released.
"I have no guess as to how many kids were involved," she said.
The students whom police detained provided officers with their scavenger-hunt instructions. But, Huntley said, the students wouldn't say who put them up to the late-night activity.
"The suspects told us they were participating in a scavenger hunt associated with the senior class of Boulder High," Huntley said.
According to the hunt instructions, the participating teens were grouped into teams of four or five people and told to steal a list of items over a two-hour period. They had to wear black, Huntley said.
"If encountering an authority figure, all knowledge of an organized event must be denied," the instructions read.
The rules also make clear that “everything must be stolen or taken from someone who’s not a participant.” And, the instructions add, “cheating will bestow on you a lifetime of humiliation and regret and earn you a tar and feathering.
“Should you be captured and killed,” the instructions say, “your team will be disqualified.”
All of the stolen goods were to be dropped off at the Four Mile Creek trailhead, north of the intersection of U.S. 36 and Broadway.
Stolen items listed on the instruction sheet - and which police found at the drop site - include an American flag, soccer goal nets, street signs, garden hoses, children’s bicycles, real estate signs, traffic cones, stacks of newspapers, syrup dispensers, lamps, chairs, yard decorations, restaurant menus, mail boxes and license plates.
Despite the race to flee the scene when police arrived, Huntley said one van of students couldn’t get everyone inside fast enough to speed away, and officers were able to stop them.
Later, while officers were loading up evidence at the drop-off point, two more car-loads of students pulled in. One of the vehicles got away, but the second was stopped by police.
“They weren’t arrested, but officers took down detailed information about them,” Huntley said. “It’s an open case.”
Boulder High Principal Bud Jenkins said Monday that he hadn’t yet heard about the investigation, and he couldn’t comment about possible school-enforced penalties for students who are found to have been involved in the weekend thefts.
“But kids who get suspended don’t participate in activities, and graduation is an activity,” Jenkins said. “That’s not a good deal for them.”
Jenkins said he doesn’t know if the scavenger hunt was some sort of senior prank.
“I wouldn’t be happy if Boulder High students were representing themselves in the community by stealing things,” he said.
Boulder artist Joshua Stevens, 50, is helping a family friend sell his home before it goes into foreclosure and said his “for sale by owner” sign was among those the students took. Stevens said he put the sign in his friend’s yard at 1895 Norwood Drive because the aging man has gone blind and needs help selling his property.
“This is not that harmless,” he said. “I’m all for good fun and being wild teenagers, but the scavenger hunts where you go door to door and ask for a hard-boiled egg is not the same as this.”
Stevens said police returned the sign Monday.
Everything officers recovered from the scavenger hunt is being held at the station, and anyone who’s missing something or wants to report a theft can contact police at 303-441-3333.