ALABAMA COMPUTERS STOLEN $20,000 in Property Stolen from Rogers High School - WHNT:

$20,000 in Property Stolen from Rogers High School

Clarissa Stephens Shoals Reporter

February 26, 2009
Money is tight at many schools across north Alabama. Now, leaders at a high school in the Shoals will have to worry about day-to-day finances and how to bounce back from a burglary.

Tim Tubbs has been the principal at Rogers High School for 13 years. He's never seen a burglary like the one that happened recently at the school.

'Throughout those 13 years, we've had two or three incidents, but nothing this major,' says Tubbs. 'This is a big thing.'

Investigators with the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department say the burglary happened sometime between 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 18th and 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 19th.

"There was equipment taken from the classrooms and from the field house," says Tubbs.

Equipment like two digital video camcorders, a flat screen television, 18 headsets, and two laptop computers, including one that had a special football software program on it worth $6,500.

The burglars threw a track and field hurdle through the back window of the field house to get inside. The thieves stole a protein shake machine, plus ten football helmets, which cost $262 a piece.

The track and field program also took a hit. The burglars made off with 30 hurdles, 3 javelins, 10 shot puts, and four pole vaulting poles.

As if stealing isn't bad enough, the offenders left behind a lot of damage.

"What's just as aggravating as the theft is when they come in and vandalize your property," says Tubbs. "It puts a bad taste in your mouth."

In total, principal Tim Tubbs says this crime is costing the school between $20,000 and $30,000. In this economy, replacing everything puts an additional financial strain on the school.

"We're going to have to take other valuable resources and replace what has been damaged or taken," explains Tubbs. "With proration coming on, those funds are few and farther between. It's a shame that we're having to do that."

Principal Tubbs and the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department both want to find out who's responsible for this crime. If you have any information about the burglary at Rogers High School, call the Shoals Area CrimeStoppers tip line at (256) 386 -8685.