WTVM trailer recovered, donated coats stolen from inside

Published: Jan. 27, 2023 at 4:37 PM EST|Updated: Jan. 30, 2023 at 11:58 AM EST
Email This Link
Share on Pinterest
Share on LinkedIn

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - Columbus authorities located WTVM News Leader 9’s trailer stolen from Master Kleen Dry Cleaners on River Road. The trailer was full of coats donated by viewers in the station’s recent Coat Drive.

The theft occurred around 1AM Friday morning.

However, according to officials, the trailer was spotted by a Master Kleen employee. The trailer was recovered as of January 30. The coats that were in the trailer were not recovered.

The WTVM Coat Drive is an annual event where viewers are asked to donate gently used coats in late December and early January. This year the station collected hundreds of coats thanks to the generosity of viewers.

Master Kleen, a sponsor of the Coat Drive, offers dry cleaning services for the clothing before the coats are distributed to organizations and churches across the Chattahoochee Valley.

Thankfully, only a portion of the coats donated in the drive were in the trailer at the time of the theft.