Felon charged in Toys for Tots theft

Eureka Police say they’ve captured the man responsible for stealing a truckload of Toys for Tots toys.

On Friday, December 8, someone broke into a storage area and stole a semi truck full of toys that had been donated and sorted for Toys for Tots. In all, more than $7,000 worth of toys and essentials for disadvantaged kids were stolen.

On Saturday, the truck was found abandoned and empty on Jacobs Avenue.

Monday, Eureka Police executed a search warrant on three locations tied to 35-year-old Brandon Haselip. Investigators found some of the items that had been donated to Toys for Tots in one of those locations. Officers arrested Haselip for being a felon in possession of an illegal weapon, a stolen vehicle, and stolen property.

This isn’t the first time Haselip has been charged with theft. He was charged with armed robbery in Mendocino County in 2021.

Toys for Tots serves thousands of children in Northern California. Every toy and dollar donated stays in the area it was donated. Their distribution is set for this coming Friday, December 15.

“[Police] have recovered some of them, and we’ll get those toys back,” said Gregg Gardiner, coordinator of Toys for Tots. “It’s unlikely we’ll see those toys before Christmas this year.”

Commander Leondard La France confirmed that saying, “The recovered items are in our custody as evidence and recovered items. Once we are ready to return them, we have to go through a court process to have a judge sign off that we can recover them back. We’ll get the toys back to those who need it.”

But that won’t happen before this Friday’s distribution.

Toys for Tots needs toys and items for older children.

To volunteer or donate to Toys for Tots, click here.

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Lauren Brenner contributed to this report.