Lorry with Obama's lectern, teleprompter stolen, recovered

Oct 18, 2011, 22:55 GMT

Washington - A government agency confirmed Tuesday that a truck containing a lectern and teleprompter used by President Barack Obama has been recovered after being stolen from a hotel outside Richmond, Virginia.

The Defense Information Systems Agency, an obscure branch of the Defence Department that provides equipment for presidential appearances, said in a statement: 'No classified or sensitive information was in the vehicle We take incidents such as this very seriously, and a formal investigation is continuing in coordination with relevant law enforcement agencies.'

Richmond television station WWBT NBC12 reported that the truck was positioned in advance of Obama appearances in the area. The contents included presidential seals and a portable sound system, with a total value estimated at 200,000 dollars.

It was stolen from a parking area at a Courtyard Marriott hotel in Henrico, outside of Richmond. The white box truck was found by authorities on Monday at another hotel near the Richmond airport.

The Defence Information Systems Agency has declined to say if contents were missing when the vehicle was recovered.