This story is courtesy of our sister station WATE in Knoxville, TN.
CROSSVILLE (WATE) – A stolen bounce house turned up with a note attached and police in Crossville are trying to figure out who stole it from Nick’s Italian Ice last week.
The owner, Curtis Phillips, said he sometimes stores the 600 pound bounce house by his business. He rolls it up and makes sure it’s secured. It’s worth a couple of thousand dollars.
The bounce house is for special events and was going to be used at a child’s birthday party last week when he noticed it was gone.
“I was somewhat astounded that somebody had taken it for one and then at the same time, I wondered, could it have really been stolen or maybe did somebody by mistake move it,” said Phillips.
Thursday morning, Crossville Police Department got a call that a suspicious item was dropped off near the Woodmere Mall. It turned out to be a bounce house that was reported stolen from Nick’s Italian Ice last Thursday.
Police found the Bounce House with a note saying in part, “To whom it may concern, I am so sorry. I thought it was disregarded trash and was going to use it for tarps.” The writer of the note also apologized for any trouble they have caused.
Phillips isn’t convinced the person who wrote the note is telling the truth.
“Honestly, I believe that it was a crime, that it was stolen, that there was no way they didn’t realize that that was an object of value,” said Phillips.
Phillips says he’s working with police to find out who found the bounce house. The reward involved is free Italian ice for a year.
