A drawing sent to the Lodi News-Sentinel by Mike Von der Porten shows the stolen patches. (Courtesy photo)

Box of Boy Scout patches stolen from Lodi man's porch

When 820 Boy Scouts gather next weekend at a Sonoma County camping event, one thing will be missing: specially designed patches that were supposed to be the scouts' next badge of honor.

The patches were delivered to Mike Von der Porten's Lodi home Thursday and then apparently stolen off the front porch.

Von der Porten has a feeling the thief likely took one look at the contents of the 16-pound box and dumped it. But the patches actually cost $800, and would mean much more to countless Boy Scouts.

"They're all going to be expecting these patches, and they won't be there," he said.

Von der Porten formerly lived in Sonoma County, where he was involved in the Boy Scouts. His two children are now in college and Von der Porten has since moved to Lodi, but he remains involved in the organization.

For the past 10 years, he has helped coordinate the design, payment and shipping process for patches to be given out at the Pomo District Camporee at Lake Sonoma.

"It's always worked pretty smoothly but this time it didn't," Von der Porten said.

The package was apparently delivered by FedEx to his South Pleasant Avenue home at 11:32 a.m. Thursday. When Von der Porten got home from work that evening, the box was nowhere to be seen.

Boy Scout Leader Mike Von der Porten shows how the FexEx delivery person might have left a box filled with 820 event patches on his porch. The box of patches, valued at $800, was delivered — and stolen — from the porch on South Pleasant Avenue on Thursday. (Jennifer M. Howell/News-Sentinel)

He contacted FedEx and even talked to the driver, who said the box had been delivered. Then Von der Porten called police on Friday. They took a report and gave him a case number, but it doesn't get the patches to the boys.

Von der Porten hopes someone merely dumped the box full of patches, each bearing an image of a cannon, and that they turn up.

Anyone with information may call Von der Porten at 351-4385, or Lodi police at 333-6727.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.