Weird But True

Man stole 400-pound playground slide for kid’s bunk bed, cops say

A Washington man has been busted for allegedly stealing a 400-pound slide from a local playground — and mounting it on a kid’s bunk bed in his mobile home, authorities said.  

Dustin Bushnell, 30, of Burbank, was recently booked into the Walla Walla County Jail on a charge of possession of stolen property in connection to the slide robbery, the Pasco Police Department said in a Facebook post Wednesday.

The massive slide had been pilfered back in December from a city park.

Late last month, Pasco police Detective Julie Lee was led to Bushnell’s home while investigating a string of catalytic converter thefts — and that’s when she came “face to face” with the playground slide inside a child’s bedroom, cops said.

“Detective Lee found herself inside the suspect’s home in Burbank, looking for catalytic converters and finding a gigantic slide,” the department said, adding that the coveted car parts were also found.

The stolen slide found inside of Bushnell's home.
The stolen slide found inside Bushnell’s home Pasco Police

The slide, which had been sawed off at the top and repainted from green to blue, was mounted on the side of the bunk bed, authorities said.

Pasco Parks and Recreation arrived and recovered the slide, cops said.

No one has yet been charged with stealing the catalytic converters, according to the police department, which said it is still investigating the case.

The Pasco Police Department posted a photo showing a grinning Lee sitting atop the slide in the child’s bedroom.

“Detective Julie Lee strikes a pose with the recovered slide!” the photo caption read.