VIRGINIA COMPUTERS STOLEN Page News and Courier: Article Details:

Arrest Made In Stanley Elementary Break-In
Man Charged With Felony Possession Of Stolen Property

By Benjamin Weathers



STANLEY — Nearly 10 months after thousands of dollars worth of computer equipment was reported stolen from Stanley Elementary School, police have made an arrest in the case.

Twenty-year-old, Todd Aaron Shifflett, of 208 W. Main St., Stanley, was arrested and charged with felony possession of stolen property on Aug. 13. Police believe that Shifflet is responsible for the November, 2008 break-in which resulted in an estimated $5,600 in stolen computer equipment.

According to Stanley Police Chief Tim Foster, the department was contacted in June by town residents who believed that they had purchased stolen equipment from Shifflett for their own home use. Foster would not reveal the residents' names or how much they had paid for the equipment.

The residents became suspicious when they realized that the equipment had been installed with a password for protection purposes by Stanley Elementary faculty.

Upon inspection, police were able to identify the equipment as stolen by its serial numbers. In addition, Stanley Elementary School principal Cathy Marston also identified the equipment as that which was stolen last fall.

Police recovered a Dell computer tower and keyboard, said Foster. A flat-screen monitor and laptop computer is still missing.
Foster was emphatic that Shifflett did not act alone in the theft.

“More arrests are definitely to come,” he said.

The burgalry was discovered on the morning of Nov. 3, 2008. Police were called to Stanley Elementary around 8:30 a.m., after a school custodian discovered that one of the school's mobile classrooms had been broken into and burgularized.

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., Nov. 2 police were dispatched to the Page County Technical Center off Route 340. Once on the scene, police found evidence of an attempted break-in, however, nothing appeared to have been stolen.

Police believe Shifflett had a hand in both incidents.

According to Stanley Elementary principal Cathy Marston the event failed to disrupt school operations.

“It didn't cause a disruption,” Marston said. “The room was usable the same day [as the investigation].”

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

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

Shifflett is currently free on bond. He is scheduled to appear in Page County General District Court at 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10.