By Matt Kyle | Staff Writer
Upon returning to Allison Indoor Football Practice Facility after last weekend’s football game against the University of Texas, members of the Golden Wave Marching Band found their belongings strewn over the field. Several members’ items had been stolen during the game.
The stolen items included cash, credit and debit cards and AirPods. Students in the band said that typically, the band will only take their instruments and a few other items with them to perform at McLane Stadium, leaving their personal belongings behind at Allison.
Rio Grande City sophomore Ayvlis Flores said she returned from the game to find her belongings scattered across the field.
“Whenever we got there, my Crocs were thrown across the field. That’s when I was like, ‘Oh, something’s weird,’” Flores said. “One of the girls realized that her fanny pack was open. Everybody started digging through their stuff, and I looked inside my wallet and saw $60 was missing. My AirPods case was opened, and there were no AirPods there anymore.”
Flores said that usually, a staff member locks the doors to Allison before leaving, but it is unclear now if the facility was locked or if it was broken into.
Conroe freshman Shane Joseph said he had $600 in cash stolen from him. He said the money was given to him by family members for his birthday, which was a few days prior to the theft.
“Right after the game, we marched back to Allison, and immediately, I noticed something was off because my jacket was no longer on my hatbox,” Joseph said. “My wallet was halfway across the piccolo section. When I checked my wallet, I was missing all of the cash in it.”
Joseph said that he and four other band members filed a police report with BUPD about the stolen items.
“Three people had their headphones stolen. Four people had credit cards stolen, so they had to go in and cancel it,” Joseph said. “One girl actually, as she was filing a report, she pulled up her bank account, and it already had pending charges on it of the person trying to get into the bank account, so that was crazy.”
Because it is an ongoing investigation, BUPD was unable to provide an update. Joseph said he was told BUPD is investigating whether the facility was left unlocked or broken into.
