LYNN NEARY, HOST:
Anyone who has ever spent time around a toddler knows that waiting, well, it's not their strong suit. So imagine the tears when a group of preschoolers patiently cultivates pumpkin sprouts for months only to find the patch picked clean by thieves. It happened at the Eastern New Mexico University Child Development Center. The class returned to school after the weekend to a wasteland of missing pumpkins. Worst part? A teacher said there were four full pumpkins just about to turn into real jack-o'-lantern material.
News of the heist went viral, and the school was inundated with donated pumpkins. But just a few days ago, university police caught the thieves. Turns out the pumpkin plundering was the work of teenage boys. Good judgment? Not their strong suit. No word on what the punishment will be or if the boys will have to provide free babysitting for the little victims. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.