Playground equipment illegally removed from Brignole Park: Police

Kevin S. Held
·1 min read

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – The owner of a playground installation company is facing charges for illegally removing equipment over claims he was not paid.

According to the St. Louis County Police Department’s probable cause statement, the incident happened on April 23 at Brignole Park in the city of Valley Park.

Officers were called to the park after receiving word of two people loading playground equipment into a pickup truck. When officers arrived, the truck was gone, but they found several nuts and bolts left behind, as well as a saw blade.

Police contacted Playground Equipment Pros, the company that had previously installed and worked on the playground. The equipment was taken from Brignole Park without prior authorization from the city.

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Police claim an employee told them that the company owner, Charles Bergfeld, directed them to seize the playground equipment.

Bergfeld spoke with officers and claimed he’d not been paid in full for the installation of the playground.

Investigators determined the city of Valley Park had paid Bergfeld $150,000 for the purchase and installation of the equipment.

The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Bergfeld with stealing – $25,000 or more and first-degree property damage. Bergfeld was issued a summons to appear in court on May 14.

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