Police are investigating a pair of break-ins at Laupahoehoe High and Elementary School in which more than $7,000 in computer equipment was stolen.
Police are investigating a pair of break-ins at Laupahoehoe High and Elementary School in which more than $7,000 in computer equipment was stolen.
The first of the burglaries occurred sometime between Thursday, March 8, and Monday, March 19, during the school’s spring break, according to Hawaii Police Capt. Richard Miyamoto. The second came between Wednesday, March 21, and Thursday, March 22.
Both times, the burglar or burglars entered locked classrooms and made off with Lenovo Thinkpad L412 laptop computers, IBM and Lenovo desktop computers and monitors, and HP printers. Miyamoto said he did not want to release the exact number of items stolen so as to avoid compromising his department’s investigation. The combined value of the stolen items was more than $7,380. No damage was done to the school in the first burglary, he added, but a door was damaged in the second.
“At this time, we don’t have any suspects,” he said Friday afternoon. “That’s why we are reaching out to the community, in the hope that we might trigger something. A lot of the time, people may not think that the information they give us leads up to anything, but a lot of times they give us really important information that leads to an arrest.”
Police ask that anyone with information about this case call Officer Robert Panem or Amacias Valdez at 962-2120 or the Police Department’s non-emergency line at 935-3311.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at 961-8300 in Hilo or 329-8181 in Kona and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID.
All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.
Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.