GRANDVIEW, Mo. – A man is in custody after stealing Troop 531’s Boy Scout trailer with all their camping gear inside. Grandview police found the trailer in front of a vacant house Saturday night but the camping gear had been taken out and replaced with a stolen ATV.

“It was a great shock especially because I live really close to where the trailer was being stored,” said Boy Scout 531 member, Joshua Norgren. “It was disappointing; the gear inside was pretty essential for us to use on camp outs and any long trips.”

However, a Boy Scouts honor held true for these scouts – all their gear was replaced by another troop.

“We got the call from Troop 262’s chairmen; he said he had some gear for us,” said troop leader, Damon Valdez. “It really felt good, especially because they’re scouters; we’ve had a lot of other people reach out to us too.”

Sunday the troop accepted tents, stoves, blankets and a number of other camping items to use for their upcoming trip.

“We were in this position a couple years ago,” explained Troop 262’s chairmen, Chuck Dustin. “I know firsthand when you look at everything the boys have worked hard for and you bought all this gear and you know the value that it brings to the boys – it ruins the experience. So, knowing that we had extra gear that we weren’t using, it was a no brainier to reach out.”

New gear came with new friendships this weekend.

“We didn’t know each other before this,”Valdez said. “You never know who you’re going to run across, in your path but we always know there’s another friend out there that’s willing to help out when needed.”

Grandview police have not released the identity of the person responsible for taking the trailer but the troop is happy the incident did not hold them back from their camping trip.