Three pay stations at state parks in Marin were cut open and the money removed, state parks officials said.
The pay stations — known as “Iron Rangers” — at the Bootjack and Pantoll trailheads on Mount Tamalpais and at Olompali State Historic Park — were targeted on the same day earlier this month.
Visitors to the areas self-register and put cash into a small envelope, which is then inserted into a slot in the pay station. The money drops into the bottom of the station where it sits until opened by park staff.
“It looked like someone used a cordless saw to cut into the top and then peeled back the metal to get to the money,” said Bill Lutton, superintendent of state parks in Marin. “Whoever it was went to three in one night.”
The theft was believed to have occurred between May 7 and 8.
Lutton didn’t have an estimate as to how much was taken, but he said steps were being considered to better monitor the pay stations. Additionally the money inside the stations will likely be picked up more frequently. The stations that were damaged have been replaced, Lutton said.
The theft comes as Olompali struggled to stay open after being targeted for closure from the state to save money. But the Marin State Parks Association reached an agreement with California State Parks to keep it open by raising money and capitalizing on matching funds.
“It’s disappointing,” Diane Einstein, president of the Olompali People, said of the theft. Her group works to support the park. “The park was closed and locked and they broke in. That is money that goes straight to the park.”
Contact Mark Prado via email at mprado@marinij.com
—-
