OGDEN — The mystery of the whereabouts of 50 backpacks from the Weber State University bookstore, intended to be donated to a local charity to help underprivileged children, has apparently been solved.
The backpacks were mistakenly given to a man for another organization instead of its intended recipient Catholic Community Services, said John Kowalewski, a Weber State spokesman, Thursday night. Weber State Provost Michael Vaughan had arranged for backpacks to be donated to Catholic Community Services, said Kowalewski. On Aug. 8, a man came into Weber State’s bookstore to pick up donations for his organization and was inadvertently provided with the backpacks. Employees were under the impression the man was representing Catholic Community Services, said. About a week later, Vaughan was made aware that the backpacks had not been received by Catholic Community Services. Weber State police had been trying to determine if the incident was a misunderstanding, miscommunication or theft, Kowalewski said. Campus police obtained surveillance video from the bookstore to identify the man who left with the backpacks. However, after a television news report about the backpacks aired Thursday night, a man contacted Weber State police and said he is the individual in the surveillance footage. "He wanted to clear up any miscommunication or misunderstanding," said Kowalewski. The man had been in contact with the bookstore about a different donation for an event held by a professional organization in the area earlier this month. He didn’t know what he would picking up from the bookstore and was inadvertently given the Catholic Community Services backpack donations. The remaining backpacks that were not given out by the professional organization were returned by the man to Weber State police Thursday night. Catholic Community Services has received 50 backpacks as planned, Kowalewski said. Weber State police plan to complete follow-up work Friday but don’t anticipate any legal action.
Comments