400-lb playground slide stolen in Pasco found in a child’s bedroom

A 400-pound playground slide stolen from a low-income Pasco neighborhood park has been found in a kid’s bedroom five miles away in Burbank.

The slide was stolen three months ago from a city park at Tierra Vida.

The thief had left some of the original playground set behind in December, but took the green slide, sawed off the top and repainted it blue, said Pasco police.

It was discovered about 10 days ago when police were investigating a rash of catalytic converter thefts in the region.

Officers from Pasco were searching a house in Burbank just over the Snake River in Walla Walla County when Detective Julie Lee spotted the slide mounted on a bunk bed.

Catalytic converter thieves cut the metal part off a vehicle’s exhaust system to sell to scrap dealers for the heavy metals inside, said police.

Pasco’s crime prevention specialist received some information about the thefts, including a description of a truck used in the thefts.

Officers spotted the truck and after obtaining five search warrants, Lee and other officers ended up at the home in Burbank. She found the catalytic converters, and Lee spotted the 400-pound playground slide in a kid’s bedroom.

Pasco’s Parks and Rec department took the slide back.

Dustin Allen Bushnell, 30, Burbank, was arrested for possessing the slide by Walla Walla sheriff’s deputies and booked into the Walla Walla County Jail. He’s charged with second-degree possession of stolen property and first-degree unlawful gun possession, according to court records.

Detectives are still investing the catalytic converter thefts, and are asking anyone with information to call non-emergency dispatch at 509-628-0333 or email Lee at leej@pasco-wa.gov.

This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 10:12 AM with the headline "400-lb playground slide stolen in Pasco found in a child’s bedroom."