Another School Burglarized: 30 iPads Stolen

A high school in Valley Center was broken into overnight, with thieves stealing approximately 30 iPads from campus, deputies said.

According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, Oak Glen High School located at 14172 West Oak Glen Rd. was burglarized around 10:20 p.m. Saturday.

Deputies were dispatched to the school to investigate a report of unusual noises coming from inside the closed campus. When officials arrived, they searched the area and discovered the school’s fence had been tampered with and a classroom door was unlocked.

Deputies say an unknown robbery suspect or suspects stole 30 iPads from the school worth about $15,000. There is no suspect information at this time, officials confirmed.

Investigators are asking anyone with information on this school burglary to contact the Valley Center Detective Unit at (760) 751-400 or the Sheriff’s Department tip line at (858) 565-5200.

This marks the fifth school burglary to hit the North County in less than one month. In each incident, Apple-brand electronics were stolen, specifically iPads and laptops from classrooms.

Here’s a timeline of those other North County school burglaries:

• On Sunday, Jan. 13 Ocean Knoll Elementary School in Encinitas was burglarized. Deputies said a gate was broken, a classroom window was smashed and five iPads were stolen.
   
• On Saturday, Jan. 12 at around 11:45 p.m., Skyline Elementary School in Solana Beach was burglarized. About two dozen Apple-brand laptops worth an estimated $36,000 were stolen from a computer lab, officials said.
   
• On Dec. 31, a dozen iPads were stolen from Ada Harris Elementary School in Cardiff.
   
• On Dec. 29, a dozen iPads worth approximately $6,360 were stolen in an overnight burglary at Cardiff Elementary School. In that incident, the school’s alarms were activated, alerting deputies to the scene.

After the Jan. 13 burglary, Jan Caldwell with the Sheriff’s Department told NBC 7 that at least a dozen schools have been burglarized since Thanksgiving in Carlsbad, Poway, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Lakeside.

Caldwell said thieves have been stealing Apple products, such as iMacs and iPads, from schools.

"We think probably more than $200,000 in product has been stolen at this point," Caldwell said.

While investigators have said the school burglaries have been similar in nature, they haven’t been able to confirm if they’re actually related.