Thieves take boxed donations slated for veterans; Resident not happy about it

HUBER HEIGHTS — A military veteran is not happy about the thief or thieves who took six of the 13 boxes of donated household items his wife put out in front of their Huber Heights home for a veteran's organization.

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"I think it's pretty low," the man said Friday afternoon, asking not to be identified by name. "It's the principal. Here I am trying to help veterans and somebody's being a thief." 

He didn't call police because they couldn't do anything about the theft of the boxes, which he said contained clothes, silverware, boots, a toy box and more. 

The man said his wife put the boxes out Friday morning and went to shower. By the time she got out, 10 minutes later, the six boxes were gone. 

"We were just downsizing and didn't need the stuff," the man said. "They wanted it more than the veterans." 

The "Fill a Bag for a Vet" Vietnam Veterans of America box truck did make the scheduled pickup to take the remaining boxes, the man said. 

Angel, a spokeswoman with the Vietnam Veterans of America headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, said incidents of people stealing boxes of donated items is not uncommon. The organization, which picks up items (including vehicles) from California to Maine, does not track the number of theft incidents from private property.

Her advice: "Put it where it's kind of hidden, so it's not visible right away."