Burglary at Community School in Roanoke

It's the end of the day at Community School, off Williamson Road not far from the entrance to Hollins University. Book bags are scattered on the driveway while children play on colorful playground equipment.

Numerous teachers and aides hustle around, as a line of mini-vans and sedans ques up in the parking lot.

A teacher with a bull horn calls each student as their turn comes to be escorted to the waiting autos.

Michi Hines is the school administrator. She says the school’s name fits. “Because part of our name is Community School we want parents and we want students to have access to our buildings and our school,” she said.

Yet n the secluded setting where only 153 pre and elementary students attend school -- there is a problem. Someone has been breaking into classrooms, stealing laptops, digital cameras and other electronics.

Some colorful canvas bags were also taken. “They were part of a grant so children could take books home,” said Hines. “They were hand painted by staff.”

In another room, an even more unusual theft. Hines points to a clock on the wall. It has a red rim with an apple in the middle and oversized numbers. The thief stole the one that had been there last week. “Just a wall clock,” said Hines.

After being hit twice the school reluctantly changed the locks on all the doors and started a new key policy. That was on March 10. Then on March 12, the thief hit again and this time taking even more.

Lt. Chuck Mason with Roanoke County believes this may have been going on longer than the school realized. “I think initially the school had things disappearing, from various buildings -- didn't necessarily understand that they were being broken into,” he said.

Finally a clue, a teacher left a security camera in her room, and at 1:30 in the morning it captured images of what appears to be a white male. The shot shows several frames of someone with a grey hooded sweatshirt over his head. He also appears to be wearing gloves so as not to leave any fingerprints. It’s a start, but the picture is too fuzzy for police to make an ID and they have few leads.

So Hines puts a key into a stiff new lock on a closet door and swings it open. Inside are all the electronics and anything else that might be attractive to a burglar. “I asked my staff before they leave on spring break to secure all this TV's and CD players and so it would be more difficult to steal anything, Said Hines. “It's been very hard -- a lot of sleepless nights waking up at 1 o'clock thinking, ‘Oh I wonder if we're being robbed, and I can't do anything about it.’"

Roanoke County Police ask anyone with information to call Crime Line at (540) 344-8500 or Roanoke County directly at (540) 562-3265.