Trailer filled with props stolen from Royse City dance studio

ROCKWALL COUNTY, Texas - The Rockwall County Sheriff's Office is looking for video and information to help track down a trailer stolen from a local dance studio.

The trailer contained all the props the students at Dance & Arts Connection Studio in Royse City need as they are just days away from a national competition.

"This is everything they’ve worked for since August of 2023," said Brent Stevenson, whose 11-year-old daughter dances at the studio.

While the studio plans to rebuild the props, they want the person who did this to be held responsible.

The Royse City dance studio's trailer was stolen on Wednesday.

"The props are worthless to everybody but the studio," said Stevenson.

Stevenson helps take the trailer to and from competitions. He was the last one to see it on Sunday after the end-of-the-year recital when he parked it behind the studio building and locked up the hitch.

"I can’t believe somebody would come in and take it, take a trailer that is just at a dance studio, it’s mind-boggling for me, personally," said Stevenson.

Surveillance video shows what appears to be a black truck going behind the studio on Wednesday night.

Then a camera from the neighboring business, the Cool Casa, caught what appears to be the same black pickup truck leaving with a trailer on Wednesday night.

The studio was closed for the week, so students could rest up for the national competition in Arkansas. It wasn't until Friday that the staff realized it was gone.

"Honestly, I thought it was fake and then it came to me and I was like ‘oh my gosh,’ it got stolen," said 11-year-old dancer Railynn Stevenson. 

Stevenson was at the studio on Friday to practice her solo routine.

Her teacher went out to the trailer to grab a prop and saw it wasn't there.

"Can we have our trailer back? We need it," Stevenson said.

The Rockwall County Sheriff's Office says they only have a partial plate for the truck, and they're looking for more surveillance video.

"It just kind of hit us really hard. Three days away from leaving to go out of town for competition, and you're just devastated. You didn’t really steal from me, you stole from my students, you stole from my children that I love so much," said Vicky Staton, owner of Dance & Arts Connection.

The dance company has students from four to 18 years old.

Staton says the dance community has rallied around them.

Stevenson and other dads have offered to spend Father's Day rebuilding and painting.

All to make sure the girls have a chance to show off their hard work.

"We’re just going to rebuild, and it’ll be hard, but it’ll be done," said Staton. 

If you'd like to help the studio rebuild the props, you can message them on social media or give them a call.

They'll be working Sunday through Tuesday.

If anyone has surveillance video in the area of the studio off State Highway 276, you're asked to contact the Rockwall County Sheriff's Office.