96 Tablets Stolen from Sadie Vernon High School
Thieves targeted another school in the Saint Martin De Porres area. Last Friday morning, the criminals broke into Sadie Vernon High School and stole ninety-six tablets. The electronic devices were recently acquired for distance learning and were to be distributed to students today. It is believed that the community members, which the school serves, were involved in the crime. News Five’s Duane Moody reports.
Duane Moody, Reporting
Today was the official day for the handing over of tablets to students from second and third form classes at Sadie Vernon High School in Belize City. But that distribution exercise could not happen because, in the wee hours of Friday morning, thieves broke into the office and stole over a hundred tablets.
Sherri Hemmans
Sherri Hemmans, Secretary, Sadie Vernon High School
“I got a call from the principal stating that a break-in occurred. I live nearby and so I came over and found two officers along with the security on duty. At the back of my officer, one louver missing from the window and I peeped in and I saw that several boxes were at my desk area and I immediately notified the officers of the contents of my office that I thought would have been missing. I told her that I had one hundred and forty tablets in the office total, I have a laptop for the school and I notice the DVR wasn’t on the shelf underneath the television.”
The school acquired the tablets only three days before the break-in. After a number of them were programmed and ready for distribution, the students and their parents were notified on Thursday that the tablets were at the office and pickup would take place today. It is believed that someone leaked that information to the thieves who removed a louver from the office and stole the electronic devices. They also took the DVR with the recording of the crime.
Sherri Hemmans
“A total of a hundred were unaccounted for. In one of the boxes, a device was in it, two was in my desk and the officers had found one behind the building in the Lake Independence Baptist yard. So that was four. A total of ninety-six were missing. None of the headsets were missing, just the garbage bags and then the DVR. On Friday, it was a hectic day, I had to try to check the ones that we had to see which are the ones that are gone so that we could provide ministry and the police officers with that information. We received thirty-five in garbage bags. We found them at the gate about ten-thirty. Three garbage bags were at the gate.”
Duane Moody
“Someone put them there?”
Sherri Hemmans
“Yeah. But we were having meetings. No one was at the gate and I came out and found three bags at the gate and so I called the principal to bring it to her attention and then she came out and we recorded the numbers and the police officers came.”
The bags with thirty-five tablets were left at the gate after the school reached out to the students and their parents, explaining its impact on their education. Nineteen were also found in the area behind WASA, so there are currently forty-two still missing. Secretary Sherri Hemmans says that the institution feels betrayed because, since the COVID pandemic, they have been helping the community with grocery items – the most recent on January eleventh and another scheduled for early February.
Sherri Hemmans
“I do believe it is someone from the community. The investigations show that the police camera saw people walking on Morning Glory Street, heading over the bridge with the bags. So it is right within the area.”
A woman has been detained and charged for handling stolen goods as investigation continues into this burglary.
Alejandro Cowo
Supt. Alejandro Cowo, O.C., C.I.B., Eastern Division
“Police conducted an investigation into this matter. So far fifty-six tablets have been recovered and a female by the name of Lina Gabourel was arrested and charged for handling stolen goods.”
Reporter
“Now that you know the identity of the person, does this appear to be an inside job?”
Supt. Alejandro Cowo
“We know that they have a security that is working there during the entire night. He was questioned and we suspect that it could have been some inside job as to where exactly these laptops were.”
Duane Moody for News Five.
