Thief Admits Taking Swings for Prison

A man has confessed to stealing a set of swings from a grade school playground, then donating them to a state prison camp that had a swing set frame but no swings for its convicts.

The swings were reported missing on Monday, and the theft was widely publicized in area news media, apparently prompting the man to come forward with his story, Detective Gary Kramer and Capt. Pat Dean of the Midland police said Friday.

They said the man told police he decided to steal the swings from Carpenter Elementary School after visiting a friend who is a prisoner at Camp Pellston in northern Michigan.

The names of the inmate and his friend were not released pending the filing of formal charges.