Large grill stolen in Merced returned to its owners

The mystery behind the disappearance of an industrial-sized grill stolen last week from a social club in south Merced has a happy ending.

The roughly 6-by-10 foot black cast-iron grill was returned – undamaged – to members of Club Mercedes early Monday, a week after it was stolen from their Ninth Street location, according to club member David Contreras.

“There really are good people still in this world,” Contreras said Monday in a telephone interview with the Sun-Star.

The grill was given to happy club members who, in turn, returned the grill to its owners, the Tri-City Football Bulldogs, a youth football program serving the Planada-Le Grand area in Merced County.

Merced police said the grill was stolen sometime between the evening of Feb. 20 and the following morning.

Contreras said club members were contacted early Monday by telephone. “A nice elderly woman had it in her backyard and when they learned someone was looking for it, they called us and we picked it up,” Contreras said.

The grill was found at a home near downtown Atwater. Contreras said he believes the thieves were hiding the grill at that home and he said he doesn’t believe the homeowners knew it was stolen. He said he’s not too interested in finding the people who stole the grill, he’s just glad to have it back.

“The best part is that we got it back and the police never had to get involved,” he said. “We said we just wanted it back and there’d be no questions asked.”

The team and the club share it for cookout fundraisers and other events to benefit the communities.

Club Mercedes raises money for six educational scholarships it passes out every year. The club also occasionally cooks pregame meals for youth or high school football players, members have said.

The grill is a good way to cook large amounts of meat, club members said.

Club Mercedes at 569 W. Ninth St. was established in south Merced in 1947 as a social club that allowed Latinos to join at a time when other groups discriminated against them. Its members have been involved in philanthropy for decades.

This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 11:13 AM with the headline "Large grill stolen in Merced returned to its owners."