Money missing at Vogel

By RON LARSEN

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM--A bus trip to visit New Ulm by a group of seventh and eighth graders from a northern Illinois church school hit a sour note Friday afternoon when money was stolen from two youngsters while they swam in the Vogel Arena pool.

About 40 students from St. John's Lutheran School, a Wisconsin Synod facility in Libertyville, just north of Chicago, had stopped at the arena for a dip in the pool after touring the campus of Martin Luther College.

Principal Joel T. Schultz of Libertyville reported the thefts to New Ulm police a few minutes after Joshua J. Smith, 14, of Park City, Ill., and Andrew D. Schroeder, 12, of Zion, Ill., reported money missing from their clothes after concluding their swim about 4:20 p.m. Their clothes were in unlocked lockers in a room beside the pool.

Smith reported losing $100, four 20s and four 5s, while Schroeder said he lost "roughly $15" from his locker.

"We had told Andy not to carry all his money with him when he got off the bus," said his father, Dean W. Schroeder, formerly of New Ulm. "We had told him to leave most of his money in his bag on the bus, but I guess Joshua lost all his money."

Arena personnel told police they did not see any suspicious persons around the swimming pool; however, they said the booth near the door to the locker room "is often unoccupied."

Schultz who is also a teacher and a trip chaperone told police he saw only one person who appeared to be out of place. That was a Hispanic man with an arm in a sling; however, Schultz did not see him in the locker room.

The group swam in the pool for about 50 minutes before leaving to visit an area farm. The group started the day with a stop in Watertown. They continued to Bloomington Saturday where they visited the Mall of America before heading home later in the day, Dean Schroeder said.

"It's sad that something like that has to happen," Schroeder said from his home in Illinois. "I'm from New Ulm, and you just don't expect that to happen there."