Purple Heart recipient’s hunting gear stolen in smash and grab

A few days before Veterans Day, a Purple Heart recipient’s hunting gear was stolen from his car.

Jason Probst said it happened on Monday, November 8, as he was working at LockLeed International, helping veterans find careers. The Blaine Police Department is investigating the theft.

Probst, a veteran of the Army and Purple Heart recipient, said the business’s security camera captured every moment of the theft.

“They get out really quick, smash and grab whatever they can, and they’re gone,” Probst said about the suspect smashing his passenger side window to take his hunting gear.

According to Blaine police, Probst’s bow and binoculars were stolen.

Probst started hunting more frequently following his last deployment in Afghanistan — during that deployment his Humvee drove over an IED.

“It’s pretty indescribable,” Probst said about the explosion. “It took me a good six months just to be able to walk on my own again.”

While hunting, Probst said he’s able to relax and reflect — making the timing of the theft not ideal.

“[It’s] brutal — Veterans Day week and [we’re] in the heat of the rut and so [it] pulled me back a few days,” Probst said.

His wife Emily, an Air Force veteran herself, says hunting is an important part of her husband’s life as a retired veteran.

“I’ve definitely noticed when he comes back from a hunt, even if he didn’t see anything, there’s just a sense of peace,” Emily said.

Just as quickly as the suspect, or suspects, were able to steal Probst’s gear, the veteran community rallied around his family.

From starting a GoFundMe to a friend-of-a-friend lending Probst a bow to hunt this week, the Probsts are feeling the love during a tough time.

“It’s incredible,” Emily said. “We have our family and our family unit, but just the veteran community as a whole, it’s a family.”

You are encouraged to reach out to the Blaine Police Department if you have information on the theft.