A Valley non-profit had several items estimated to be worth $10,000 stolen.
Jennifer Faunce, president of Thunderbird Arena Community Council, said the organization has been around since 2014.
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The group runs the Thunderbird Farms Arena in Maricopa and helps encourage rodeo participation, particularly among junior and youth participants, through the events and activities.
Faunce said the items were taken sometime between Sunday and Tuesday morning.
Items included:
- 3 PA Systems (1 brand new)
- Karaoke Machine
- 2 brand new LED arena lights
- FarmTek Scoreboard
- 5 Award saddle pads
- 15 custom award buckles
- 3 Sheridan Award Bracelets
- 6 Award Breast collars and Headstalls
- 7 packs of Professional Choice 4pk boots and bell boots
Faunce said some of the items with the highest value would be of no use to whoever took them, including the customized buckles and trophy bracelets.
"We had other awards, such as saddle pads, headstalls, breast collars, some professional choice boots, all taken out," Faunce said.
Phylliss Ruiz, secretary for TACC, said rodeo had been in her family for years and she could not believe someone would steal from a kid who works and practices to win awards.
"It's not just a sport to us. It's an everyday life thing, and our kids become literally brothers and sisters," Ruiz said.
Faunce said she hoped the culprits of the crime could return at least the buckles to them.
"If they wanted to just come drop them off in the middle of the night, wherever on the facility, we would take them," Faunce said.
The organization has set up a fundraising page to help cover the costs of replacing the items.