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TRPA to recover about one-tenth of stolen cash

Kyle Magin / North Lake Tahoe Bonanza

The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency will lose about $9,000 stemming from recent thefts at cash boxes at two Nevada state parks on Lake Tahoe’s East Shore.

TRPA Spokesman Dennis Oliver said Monday the agency will recover a little more than $1,000 of the some $10,000 stolen in three thefts at two locations – Sand Harbor State Park and Cave Rock.

The agency’s general liability insurance policy states the TRPA will collect only on the most recent of the thefts, which was a $6,000-plus heist on Sunday, July 5, from Sand Harbor, because it was the only theft to exceed the policy’s deductible.



Since the policy requires a $5,000 deductible, TRPA will recover the difference above the deductible, or about $1,000. It won’t recover funds the two other thefts because they didn’t exceed $5,000.

Thieves struck the cash boxes containing boat inspection fees, which run from $10 to $40 and pay for Tahoe Resource Conservation District invasive species inspectors, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Parks Supervisor Jay Howard said last week.



The first theft, of $250, occurred in June at Sand Harbor, and Cave Rock was hit for about $4,000 in the second theft on Saturday, July 4.

Douglas County Sheriff’s Office officials said the Sand Harbor box was smashed, while the Cave Rock box was cut.

Money was collected out of each box three times a week by the Brinks security corporation, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Oliver said.

Oliver said measures have been put in place to make sure thefts of this magnitude don’t happen again.

“There is no money being left overnight at these facilities any more,” Oliver said. “The funds are taken and secured at the end of each day.”

Oliver said the agency is confident in the “heavy duty” metal collection boxes, which are cemented into the ground.

“They’re secure enough, the important thing is they just won’t be used over night any more,” Oliver said. “They are top of the line collection boxes, and whoever breached them knew what they were going to do.”


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