VIRGINIA COMPUTER THIEF CAUGHT The Daily News Record: Local News:

Arrest Made In School Break-In Posted 2009-08-28
Police Charge Stanley Man For Stolen Property

By Benjamin Weathers

STANLEY - Police have arrested a Stanley man and say more people will likely be charged in connection with the theft of computer equipment last November from Stanley Elementary School.

Police charged Todd Aaron Shifflett, 20, of 208 W. Main St., with felony possession of stolen property on Aug. 13. Investigators believe Shifflett is responsible for the break-in that resulted in the theft of an estimated $5,600 worth of computer equipment.

Stanley Police Chief Tim Foster said the department was contacted in June by town residents who believed Shifflett had sold them stolen equipment. Foster would not reveal the residents' names or how much they had paid for the items.

Foster said the residents became suspicious when they realized the computer had been installed with a password by Stanley Elementary School faculty.

Upon inspection, police were able to identify the equipment by the serial numbers. Stanley Elementary School Principal Cathy Marston also identified the computer as having belonged to the school.

Police recovered a Dell computer tower and keyboard, Foster said. A flat-screen monitor and laptop computer are still missing.

Foster believes more people were involved in the thefts.

"More arrests are definitely to come," he said.

Police were called to the school around 8:30 a.m. Nov. 3 after a school custodian discovered one of the mobile classrooms had been broken into.

It was the second time in 12 hours that local law enforcement had been called to an incident at a Page County public school.

Around 11:30 p.m. on Nov. 2, police were dispatched to the Page County Technical Center off U.S. 340. Once on the scene, police found evidence of an attempted break-in, however, nothing appeared to have been stolen.

Police say they believe Shifflett had a hand in both incidents.

According to Marston, the burglary failed to interrupt school operations.

"The room was usable the same day [as the investigation]," she said.

The school has since removed all its mobile classrooms and precautions have been taken to ensure that the building is being monitored at all times, Foster said.

After a series of bomb threats in recent years, all eight Page County public schools have been equipped with around-the-clock video surveillance.

Shifflett is free on bail and is scheduled to appear in Page County General District Court at 2 p.m. Sept. 10.