Red Kettle Stolen By Las Vegas Teen On Skateboard

There have been a lot of positive stories regarding the Salvation Army's famous red kettle. One person dropped a gold coin inside one. Another, an entire gold nugget worth over $40,000! Here in Las Vegas though, the news of a red kettle stolen has the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on the hunt for the thief. According to 8 News Now, on Saturday afternoon a volunteer for the Salvation Army was posted in front of Hobby Lobby near the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Fort Apache Road. You know the sight: a polite man or woman ringing a terribly loud bell to get your attention and potentially compel you to drop a dime or a dollar inside their trademark kettle. Just before 5pm, a teenager grabbed the entire stand and took off with it leaving the bell ringer startled. The red kettle stolen did have a lock on it, but by the time the Salvation Army volunteer and Hobby Lobby staff found it toward the back of the building, the lock had been busted and all of the money inside had been taken. The local branch of the Salvation Army is obviously dismayed by the red kettle stolen by the teen and encourage people to donate at your nearest kettle or online. Meanwhile, Metro would like you to donate a tip to the Crimestoppers at 702-385-5555. Red Kettle Stolen, But Other Red Kettles Golden While the story here in Las Vegas is incredibly disappointing, there have been some pretty positive stories coming to the kettles this holiday season. A bell ringer in Wheaton, Illinois was gifted a gold Liberty coin recently worth a cool $2800. Another kettle in Des Moines saw another gold coin. But there is one rock that took the pot: a massive gold nugget worth $42,000 in gold (and more as a collectible) was dropped into a red kettle in Indiana just last week. Here's hoping a good samaritian in Las Vegas can help make up for the mess this one teen caused.