After ‘heartbreaking’ theft of $200k of LCHS band equipment, some items recovered

UPDATE: Albuquerque Police on Saturday night said they had located the stolen Penske rental truck with Las Cruces High School's band equipment.

The truck was located in the area of 8th Street NW and Hanes Avenue NW in Albuquerque, and some of the equipment was still inside.

The fundraising coordinator for the band, Lorraine Leachman, told ABC-7 that not all the equipment was recovered. Leachman said that it appeared all the sound equipment was gone - including the keyboard.

She added that anyone who would like to help the band can donate online at lchsshowcaseband.com/shop.

ORIGINAL REPORT: ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico - Less than twelve hours before the Las Cruces High School Showcase Band was scheduled to perform at an Albuquerque competition, the students learned a rental truck full of band equipment was stolen.

"We were heartbroken," said Ty Frederick, the director of bands. "We experienced a lot of emotions: anger, heartbreak, grief."

The booster club president drove up Friday night ahead of the competition and stayed at the Homewood Suites on Sunport Place in Albuquerque, Frederick told ABC-7. At 6:45 a.m. on Saturday, the president learned the Penske Truck was stolen with an estimated $200K worth of band equipment.

"We thought, ‘Oh my gosh, what are we going to do?’” he recalled.

However, the director of bands was inspired by an outpouring of support from multiple schools, including Organ Mountain High School and New Mexico State University. He said multiple Albuquerque programs also reached out to loan equipment, including El Dorado High School, La Cueva High School, Rio Rancho High School and the University of New Mexico.

“It’s been overwhelming," Frederick said. "I asked the (students), 'Are we going to go or not?' Everyone said yes!"

He said the majority of the equipment in the truck was insured, but a few thousand dollars worth of items were not, including four sets of custom printed color guard silks valued at $2,000.

However, thanks to generosity of the other bands, the LCHS band will still compete at 3 p.m. at the Zia Marching Band Fiesta.

“It’s devastating in the stuff that was stolen, but with the other schools that were helping out, we’re able to perform," Frederick said. “The performance must go on.”