The Monroe County Community School Corporation middle school’s principal, Craig A. Fisher, alerted Bloomington Police that 30 iPads were stolen from the school, according to the Bloomington Police report.
The iPads, which are third generation and valued between $400 and $500 each, were likely stolen during the weekend, according to Sgt. John Kovach. Police filed the report at about 7:30 a.m. Monday.
Fisher, after noticing the theft, alerted one of the few BPD officers who usually “hang out” at the middle school in the mornings, ?Kovach said.
The iPads were lifted from the charging cart, which was “damaged, destroyed and opened,” according to the report.
“(Monroe County Community School Corporation) currently has several thousand iPads spread throughout all of our schools,” said Tim Pritchett, Monroe County Community School Corporation public relations person. “The devices have been purchased in a number of installments over the past five years.”
This incident relates to one cart at the school which holds a maximum of 30 devices. The principal and assistant principals at the building level have direct access to video surveillance and have reviewed all available footage, Pritchett said.
The only suspect in the case is a juvenile male born in 2000, according to the report. He inquired about tracking devices in the iPads and the video surveillance system at Tri North last week, making him the lead suspect in the case, Sgt. ?Kovach said.
The total assessed value of damages is estimated ?between $12,000 and $15,000, the report states.
“As this is an ongoing BPD investigation, the District is not able to comment on any case specifics,” Pritchett said. “In the event of an incident on school grounds, MCCSC administrative personnel at the affected building along with those at our administrative offices work cooperatively with law enforcement to provide any available evidence or details related to the specific case.”
The theft could have been made possible by entry through an unsecured window, according to the report.
The investigation is active and ongoing.
