Sports memorabilia, auction items from Trufant fundraiser stolen

A rental truck full of sports memorabilia, auction items and supplies for the Trufant Family Foundation "Dress to Impress" fundraising gala and auction in Renton Saturday was stolen from Renton hotel parking lot early Sunday morning.

The U-Haul truck was found running but completely emptied at about 9 a.m. Sunday in the Lake Desire area between Renton and Maple Valley.

Now, the Renton Police Department has reached out to the public for help, by asking the public, memorabilia dealers and collectors everywhere to call 911 if they have immediate information about the theft or the stolen items.

For information that is not time sensitive, callers should contact Renton Police Detective Robert Onishi at 425-430-7529 and refer to case No. 2013-05372.

"I am hoping that public awareness of this theft and the missing items will provide leads, as the thieves may try to sell them to collectors and memorabilia dealers," said Onishi in a press release.

The founder and president of the foundation is Marcus Trufant, a standout Seattle Seahawks player who signed with the Jaguars in early May.

Among the items stolen were a number of autographed items, including Seahawk footballs, rookie trading cards, collages, photographs, bowling shoes, bowling shirt, mini Seahawk helmets, and a Jacksonville Jaguars mini helmet, all signed by Marcus Trufant, according to Onishi.

Footballs signed by NFL players Brian Russell, Deion Grant, and Golden Tate were also taken.

The auction items that were stolen either had not received bids or had not yet been picked up by the purchasers. Other stolen items were supplies or props for the fundraiser.

The event was held Saturday night at the Renton Pavilion Event Center in downtown Renton. In a statement on the foundation website, Lloyd and Constance Trufant indicated the U-Haul truck was secured at the Larkspur Hotel parking lot at about 12:15 a.m. Sunday.

The Trufants wrote that all receipts and payments were secured inside the hotel; no private information about purchasers was inside the truck when it was stolen.

According to the foundation's website, its mission "is to help make dreams come true for disadvantaged youth and their families by supporting community programs, such as; the Boys and Girls Clubs, Communities In Schools, Hearts for Kids, Sickle Cell Camp, Salvation Army and more. We focus our energies in three major areas to help improve the quality of life for youth, which include: College Scholarships, Youth Camp and Experience programs and Children's and Adult Health Programs."

Contact Renton Reporter Editor Dean Radford at editor@rentonreporter.com or 1-425-255-3484 (ext 5050).

Source: http://feeds.soundpublishing.com/~r/cmvnews/~3/2FPJk9buSvI/208591551.html

Olympics closing ceremony PGA Championship 2012 John Witherspoon george michael usain bolt Closing Ceremony London 2012 Tom Daley