Donor to replace TV stolen from Salisbury senior center
SALISBURY — Santa Claus isn't leaving gifts just for children this year; he's going to be dropping off an important package for the town's senior citizens.
Thieves struck the Hilton Senior Center last week, smashing a door and stealing the council's 4-year old, 47-inch flat-screen television and its Wii entertainment system, along with video programs for the system. Council on Aging director Liz Pettis was worried that with the $1,000 cost to repair the door and door frame, the town couldn't afford to replace the equipment for the center.
But then Pettis got some good news. "An anonymous donor called the day the story of the robbery was in The Daily News," Pettis said. "He's stepped up and said he'd purchase a new television for the center. That's big; that's huge."
Pettis was concerned the Council on Aging would have to forgo its Movie Nights, for which the TV was used. The generous donation from the donor means that won't happen now, she said.
"There are some really good people out there," she said yesterday. "Some really good Santa Clauses."
Pettis is hoping her budget can accommodate replacing the Wii video system, which provided warm-up exercise videos for senior citizens.
The back door where thieves gained entrance has been secured with a steel door without windows, Pettis said, and she's looking into an alarm system that will discourage thieves if they try again.
Considering what was stolen and from where — both the TV and Wii system were in a cabinet stored behind closed doors — Pettis and police Chief David L'Esperance believe the thieves were familiar with the setup at the Hilton Center.
Both Pettis and L'Esperance are hopeful anyone with information on the theft will call police at 978-465-3121. Detective Mark Thomas is handling the investigation.
