Miscellaneous items have been stolen from an ISU Extension greenhouse in Altoona.

On the night of Aug. 22, workers in the master gardener’s greenhouse noticed that miscellaneous hand tools, a ladder, irrigation timers and recirculation fans valued between $2,200 and $2,500 were missing.

Extension workers and Altoona police officers said the doors to the greenhouse were closed but the padlock to the door had not been secured.

“[The greenhouse workers] didn’t think anyone would steal anything so they left it unlocked,” said Altoona Police Detective Jason Ferguson.

Members of ISU Extension considered the area that their greenhouses are located in to be a safe area with staff members in the facility area nearly

24 hours a day.

With no cameras positioned at the greenhouses, the police have no current suspects or an exact time frame of when the theft had occurred.

“We expected that they were stolen last Wednesday or earlier, nobody had notice them to be missing on Wednesday afternoon,” said Andrea Nelson, executive director for the ISU Extension office in Polk County.

Nelson stated that more precautions and control is being taken at the site now after the

theft.