An unknown person decided it was Christmas in February

recently when they helped themselves to a bag full of

baseball equipment from Cowles Recreation Center.

“I would estimate that there was anywhere from $500 to

$1,000 worth of equipment that was stolen,” said an

e-mail to the head of Simpson security, Chris Frerichs,reporting

the incident.

According to the e-mail, the bag disappeared from

outside the training room in Cowles at about 7:00 p.m.

on Monday, February 9.

Inside the bag were several pieces of catcher’s

equipment, two bats, some clothing, and a catcher’s

mitt. According to head baseball coach John Sirianni,

the items were a mix of personal property and

equipment owned by Simpson.

Sirianni said that the staff had followed procedure in

reporting the incident.

“We turned it over to (Simpson) security and they’ve

turned it over to the Indianola Police,” said

Sirianni. “We haven’t heard much other than that.”

According to Frerichs, the person responsible, if

caught, will face penalties from both Simpson and the

police.

“Theft usually falls under a category B violation.

Category B usually involves a $50 fine for the first

offense and/or equivalent community service,” Frerichs

said.

The individual would also be responsible for

replacing or returning the items.

Despite the incident, Frerichs said that theft, in

general, was not a dominant problem at Simpson.

“The number of reports of theft at Simpson compare

equally to other similar-sized institutions,” Frerichs

said. He also said that when theft occurs security

takes steps to prevent it from becoming a regular

issue.

“When incidents occur, we try and notify those who may

be affected to inform them of the occurrence and what

measures should be taken to secure their belongings,”

said Frerichs. “The security staff is made aware of

each occurrence and then can make extra rounds of the

area where the incident occurred.”