TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Alex Pedigo is the director of the band and orchestra program at Thomas Jefferson High School. He says he’s working to rebuild the once thriving program.
This year, his students performed an end-of-the-year concert and had an awards night. The next day the program received devastating news.
“I came to work and I saw the gate was open and I walked and I was like, okay the trailer is missing,” Pedigo said.
The trailer is used by the program to transport equipment and instruments.
“The trailer is used for getting us to our performance assessments, competitions, away games, we put our instruments in there,” he said.
School security video shows a truck pull up to the trailer on April 29 and drive away with it. The thieves apparently used bolt cutters to get through two locked gates to get to the trailer.
Pedigo estimates replacing the trailer and stolen items could cost $10,000.
The principal says it would be difficult for the band program to raise the funds on their own to replace the stolen trailer.
“We are still going to have a band and we are still going to go forward, but without this trailer, we are going to have to reallocate funds from somewhere else and as you know, funds right now are an issue,” said Principal Robert Quinn.