Cedar City daycare reports $50,000 loss after ‘disheartening’ robbery

CEDAR CITY, Utah (ABC4/KDXU) - Discovery Clubhouse in Cedar City is back open, after having to close Wednesday due to a robbery. The owner says they’re claiming a $50,000 loss.

Cedar City Police say the burglary happened either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.

“I’m just thankful it happened when we weren’t here, but for somebody to do that much damage and stuff and to do it, where there’s children here and they’re affecting all these families,” says Laura Stevenson, the director for the daycare.

Owner, Katja Hurst says the suspects entered through a small area without cameras and ripped out the security system and internet.

“Disheartening, scary, violated really, things moved and touched that are personal and care items for children, we’re having a new system installed, we have cameras going in,” says Hurst.

Hurst says their safe was taken and the credit card inside of it was charged in Richfield, just north of Cedar City. She says they even stole food and first-aid kits, along with several other items.

“Computer equipment missing, tablets taken out of classrooms that children’s care routines are documented on for parents, just in general it seems very premeditated,” says Hurst.

Hurst says the suspects made a contraption, which she believes was used to move items.

“They also used a couple of teeter-totters to make a homemade sled with a skateboard and a shovel and some zip ties and used some equipment out of the buses to tie that all together,” she says.

Stevenson says she’s grateful for the community’s response as locals are working to restock the daycare.

Cedar City Police are asking for anyone with information to contact the department.

For Jordan Verdadeiro's full broadcast piece, click here.