DIXFIELD – Students and teachers aren’t the only ones attending SAD 21 schools these days. Thieves have repeatedly targeted two of the district’s four schools, ransacking offices and stealing cash and personal checks.

At a press conference Thursday afternoon, Police Chief Richard A. Pickett said he has sought fingerprint analysis help from the Maine State Police Crime Laboratory in Augusta.

“We’ve definitely got to nip this thing in the bud,” Pickett said.

Sometime over Labor Day weekend, someone pried open a back door into the kitchen storeroom at T.W. Kelly Dirigo Middle School off Weld Street. Police believe an alarm sounded, but “the thieves apparently disarmed it.”

“School janitors set the alarm when they left Friday night, but it had been recycled and reset by Tuesday morning, so whoever did it, they knew what they were doing,” Pickett said.

Once inside, the thieves entered the cook’s office and ransacked drawers.

“They were looking for money, but money is no longer kept there … They also broke into the principal’s office, which was locked,” he added.

There, drawers were ransacked and two rolls of quarters taken along with personal checks made out to Dirigo Middle School.

“We got the report at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. It appears as though there was more than one perpetrator based on evidence found at the scene. We took some of that evidence and sent it in to the crime lab. I’m confident that it will reveal some prints,” Pickett said.

The thieves also entered the shop room and attempted unsuccessfully to gain entry into the school’s computer lab. Pickett believed that after that failed attempt, they entered the special education room and used a computer there.

“We’re looking for help from the community, especially if anyone saw or heard anything in the middle school area. We do have suspects,” Pickett said.

The middle school may have been broken into again sometime Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

“Wires on the alarm system were disturbed, indicating that someone may have entered the building,” he added. Nothing, however, was apparently taken.

Middle school Principal Thomas Starratt said Thursday that administrators were working with police in the investigation.

“We have also reinforced our security measures along with the increased police presence,” Starratt said.

Also, sometime between Friday night and noon Sunday, a break-in was discovered by two teachers at Dixfield Elementary School.

“I encourage anyone hearing an alarm at any time at either school or the high school to call police immediately,” he added.

Police may be contacted by calling 1-800-733-1421 or 743-9554 and choose option 1 from the Oxford County Sheriff’s Department menu to speak with a dispatcher.

In June, Dixfield police switched dispatching from Rumford police to the Oxford County Regional Communications Center in Paris.

For nonemergency issues, residents can call Dixfield’s police station at 562-4517.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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