$1500 Dollars stolen from Desert Hot Springs Football Team.

Players and Coaches at Desert Hot Springs High School came into school Tuesday morning to find the window to the coaches office broken, and their hard earned fundraiser money gone.
$1,500 in a lock box and several electronic items were taken sometime over the holiday weekend.
Players like Greg Cortez were disappointed to say the least. He told us, “I thought it was really messed up because all summer we worked for that money, you know, going through all the heat and all the desert, you know, going around selling our gold cards, all the car washes that we’ve done. You know, it’s just all of our time went and got taken away from us, so it’s really messed up to me.”
The money raised is supposed to fund the annual awards night for the players and to help purchase some new equipment for games and the gym.
Head Coach L.D. Matthews told us the kids work too hard for the ceremony not to happen. He cited their dedication both on the field and academically. The coach told us he still plans on having the awards show, even if he has to pay for it himself. “I’m very disappointed, you know. We have such a great community here and so many leaders and people that are doing great things out here, that it’s unfortunate that somebody would want to, you know, do something and harm…you know take something away from our youth of Desert Hot Springs,” Matthews said.
Since the investigation is still ongoing police could not give us specific details about the break in, or let us in to film the office. However, since only students knew about the fundraiser money, some players believe it was someone from the high school who broke into the coaches office.
“I think because lately we’ve been turning in a lot of gold card money, because it’s that time of year where we turn them in. And, I think the P.E. Kids because they walk through the gym a lot, they see a lot of us turning in money. So I think maybe one of them just saw the hotbox and decided to take it,” Robert Nichols told us.
Parents know too well how expensive and time consuming high school sports can be, and how tough it is for the community. Rey Gutierrez is a parent of a Desert Hot Springs student. He told us, “It’s tough because they do the effort, they do the best they can, and we as a parent have to support them. It shouldn’t happen but we’re aware of the type of lifestyle that we have, and we’re surrounded by people you know, it can happen anytime.”
The team isn’t giving up just yet. They want to continue their fund raising efforts, and they hope to make back as much as they can. Coaches and players are hoping someone will come forward, and do the right thing.