CONNECTICUT TEENS CHARGED WITH STEALING COMPUTERS FROM SCHOOLThe Advocate - Teens charged with stealing computers: $40K in hardware stolen from McMahonPublished December 20 2005


NORWALK -- Seven former and current Brien McMahon students were arrested yesterday on larceny and burglary charges for allegedly stealing $40,000 worth of computers from the high school last summer.

The arrests partially close a four-month investigation into the thefts, which were brought to the attention of police by the mother of one of the accused.

The arrests involve at least five burglaries that occurred at Brien McMahon while it was under renovation at the beginning of August, police Detective Bill Maloney said.

At the time, 12 Macintosh computers used for teaching graphic arts and about $4,000 worth of Dell computers were missing, said Stuart Opdahl, assistant superintendent of support services.

The seven suspects didn't go into the school all at once, Maloney said.

"The burglaries were not committed as a group. They were committed with groups of kids, but there were different players for different burglaries," he said.

Maloney said that during his investigation, some students confessed and enabled police to recover some of the computers, which have since been returned to the Board of Education.

Arrested were:

* John Andresen, 16, of 11 Nursery Court, was charged with first-degree larceny, five counts of third-degree burglary and five counts of conspiracy to commit a crime. Andresen was held on $50,000 bond.

* Franklin Guthman, 7 Nolan St., was charged with first-degree larceny, two counts of third-degree burglary and two counts of conspiracy to commit a crime. Guthman was held on $10,000 bond.

* Elvonni Capozziello, 16, of 9 South St., was charged with four counts of third-degree burglary, first-degree larceny and four counts of conspiracy to commit burglary.

* Richard Whitman, 17, 4 Oakfield Road, was charged with first-degree larceny, two counts of third-degree burglary and two counts of conspiracy to commit burglary. Whitman was held on $35,000 bond.

* Jack MacKay, 17, of 35 Fox Run Road, was charged with first-degree larceny, third-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. He was held on $25,000 bond.

* Jeff Ashman, 17, of 23 Fox Run Road, was charged with first-degree larceny, third-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. He was held on $25,000.

* Brian McDowell, 17, of 16 Donna Drive, was charged with first-degree larceny, third-degree burglary and conspiracy to commit a crime. He was held on $25,000 bond.

No one knew about the thefts until Capozziello's mother called police to report that her son had 10 computers in their basement with labels identifying them as the property of Norwalk Public Schools.

Once notified, school officials called for an inventory at Brien McMahon, where a $70 million renovation and expansion is nearly complete.

Soon after, a fence was found to have been cut to make entry into the rooms were the computers were kept.

School officials discovered the Sonitrol security system that alerts authorities to movement and noise in that section of McMahon had been disconnected during construction.

Officials have discussed holding the construction company responsible for the missing computers because it disconnected the alarm, School Superintendent Salvatore Corda said.

He said disciplinary actions against several of the students still at the school will be taken once court decisions are made.

Expulsion hearings could be held for any who are found guilty, he said.

"Due process will be followed," Corda said.