Sonora youth center broken into, items damaged amid recent storms
The Sonora Tiny Tots Youth Center was broken into sometime during severe storms last weekend that created widespread havoc throughout Tuolumne County and damaged many county facilities.
County Supervisor Ryan Campbell shared that the center, located at 732w Barretta St. in Sonora, is believed to have been broken into sometime between Saturday evening and Monday morning.
“Basically, somebody just broke into our Tiny Tots classroom to wreck the place during a storm,” Campbell said while speaking at a weekly Office of Emergency Services media briefing Friday.
A large TV recently purchased by the county for the center was ripped off the wall “out of its studs,” Campbell said.
Campbell said the culprit or culprits gained access by breaking a window and left many stolen items outside of the building, which were ruined by the rain. He surmised whoever did it may have intended to pick up the items later.
“It’s just a shame because there’s nothing really of value in there except for the fact it’s a place for people to take their children and have them learn and grow in a safe environment, and that was kind of shattered for a little while,” he said.
Though operated by the county, the center lies within the City of Sonora limits.
Dispatcher logs from the Sonora Police Department showed a call received at 8:15 a.m. reporting a burglary to the Sonora Youth Center.
The log note stated that
an employee came to work that morning and noticed broken glass, in addition to a TV and other items missing. A report was taken by an officer, though Sonora Police Cpl. Thomas Brickley could not be reached Friday for comment on the investigation.
Campbell referred to the incident as “salt in the wound” when describing other damage caused by the storms, particularly to county parks, libraries and youth facilities.
There was major flooding in the Tuolumne Youth Center, minor flooding in the county libraries in Tuolumne and on Greenley Road in Sonora, and Standard Park Sports Complex was “pretty much a lake” at one point, Campbell said.
The libraries have since reopened, though Campbell said the Tuolumne Youth Center could be closed for a “lengthy period of time.” Standard Park is also currently closed, he said, but the county hopes to reopen it as soon as possible.
Dore Bietz, the Office of Emergency Services coordinator, said there were 10 county-owned buildings that had “water infiltration issues in various amounts,” including the Public Defender’s Office, the former courthouse on North Washington Street, the farm advisor’s office, Probation Department offices on South Washington Street, the Behavioral Health Department house on Washington Street, the basement of the Tuolumne General Hospital, the Health and Human Services Agency,tuolumne Museum and the Tuolumne Community Resilience Center.
Bietz said she will be asking the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to approve a universal resolution for the county’s application for a major disaster declaration through the California Office Emergency of Services.