Cops probe school burglary in Volcano

Police are seeking information about a school burglary that took place in Volcano Sunday night.

A custodian at the Volcano School of Arts and Sciences discovered a first-grade classroom door ajar upon arriving at the school Monday morning, said school principal Kalima Kinney. Upon investigating, he found that the door’s lock had been broken.

Puna police officers determined that suspect or suspects stole 11 laptops and two video projectors, together valued at more than $4,300.

Puna Patrol Captain Scott Amaral said the perpetrator or perpetrators were most likely familiar with the layout of the premises, as they had evaded detection by the school’s surveillance equipment. Kinney said cameras showed staff leaving Sunday evening, and staff arriving Monday morning, but nobody during the interim.

The perpetrators also attempted to break into a trailer on the premises, but failed to do so.

Kinney said the school had been broken into a couple of times since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, with the perpetrators evidently taking advantage of the student body studying from home.

“Obviously we’re assessing how to ramp up our security system, but it’s a shame that we have to think about that,” Kinney said.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Officer Dwight Walker III at (808) 965-2716, or call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at (808) 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.