Food service truck has been recovered

A food service truck stolen from the Grand Coulee Dam School District has been recovered.

Two district employees traveled to the Seattle area last Wednesday and brought the 1994 Ford truck back to the bus garage for repairs.

The truck went missing sometime during the weekend of Feb. 9-11, and was found abandoned on Interstate 5 near Seattle by the Washington State Patrol.

District employees found the truck in an impound lot and stated that the steering column had been peeled so the vehicle could be started.

When the door was opened, the front seat had been filled with plastic toys, and a screwdriver was jammed into the seat. The screwdriver had been used to turn the ignition on.

After securing a new battery, the truck was driven back to the district bus garage.

Thieves used the truck to haul a number of scrap metal items, apparently to a salvage yard.

Missing from the truck was a food heating oven, used to keep food warm while it was delivered to schools here. Value of the oven was estimated at $3,500. It was first reported that the oven was still in the truck when it was found by the WSP.

The toys came from a locked Head Start enclosure at Center School.

Police are still investigating the theft.