OHIO SUBCONTRACTOR GUILTY OF COMPUTER THEFT FROM SCHOOL Subcontractor guilty of theft from Mason Heights Elementary:

Subcontractor guilty of theft from Mason Heights Elementary

A Cleves man pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of theft for stealing $1,700 worth of computer equipment from Mason Heights Elementary School.

Thomas J. Lind, 42, was working as a subcontractor fixing pipes after school hours on Nov. 1 when he took a laptop, a docking station, a hard drive and a laptop case, according to Warren County Prosecutor Rachel Hutzel.

Ohio Department of Education spokesperson Karla Carruthers confirmed that the school district would not have had to subject Lind to a background check if he wasn?t working around children. However, school district spokesperson Tracy Carson said all subcontractors are subject to background checks.

Lind will be sentenced in about a month. He faces up to a year in prison.

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.