It’s a case of grand theft toilet.
A beloved toilet go-kart that got plenty of laughs from the people of Mukilteo, Washington, during parades was stolen by a man dressed in camouflage overalls.
The popular privy was parked outside the Stollwerck Plumbing & Sewer building at about 11 p.m. Saturday when the potty pilfering crook snuck up and dragged it off, Mukilteo Police said.
Surveillance video outside the plumbing business showed the thief at first casing out the toilet kart, sitting on it and attempting to move the novelty vehicle.
The suspect appeared to confirm that the kart wasn’t locked down, and he returned 20 minutes later to drag it away.
Owner J.D. Stollwerck, who says the kart cost $2,000 to put together, lamented that shattered porcelain was found across the street from the crime scene.
“He probably lifted it up to put it in his vehicle and it snapped and broke,” Stollwerck told the Everett Herald.
Stollwerck said that the gas-powered toilet kart was used in parades with an American flag adorned in the back and that when he moved his business to Fifth Street, he kept the vehicle parked outside as a form of advertising.
He noted that his wife once warned him to lock up the kart, but he assured her that no one would steal it as the street is “lit up like a Christmas tree.”
Mukilteo crime prevention officer Nathan Fabia told the Herald the theft is “certainly unique,” but noted that some tips have come in regarding the crime.
“They are respected and well-loved within the community,” Fabia said of Stollwerck and his plumbers.
“The kart out in front gives everyone a good laugh driving by.”
As the cart remains missing, Stollwerk has hung up a sign by the roadside urging the thief to return the go-kart.
“Hey, Thief! We want our parade kart back. Love, The Plumbers,” the sign reads.
