MONTANA COMPUTERS STOLEN FROM BOZEMAN BASED CENTRAL ASIA INSTITUTE The Bozeman Daily ChronicleNonprofit burglarized over the weekend

By Chronicle Staff

Two computers and two monitors were stolen from the Central Asia Institute, a local nonprofit organization, over the weekend and police continue to search for a suspect.

The burglar apparently broke in through the front door of the two-room office, located on the second floor of the Baxter Hotel. A Central Asia Institute spokeswoman said the stolen equipment will cost thousands of dollars to replace.

"An incident like this puts a severe strain on an organization trying to make a difference," Donna Swarthout, the organization's communication director, said in a press release.

Greg Mortenson, the founder and director of the nonprofit, has said the fallout from the loss could affect the education of thousands of children in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

He's asked that the computers be returned anonymously.

Anyone with information on the burglary should call the Central Asia Institute office at 585-7841, or contact the Bozeman Police Department