Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s deputies are currently reviewing video from campus security cameras at the junior high and high school, and they’re in the process of identifying the suspects, said Gail Pinsker, Hart district spokeswoman.
The break-ins at Hart and Sierra Vista happened during spring break, which was April 1-5 for the Hart district. The elementary schools were broken into early morning on March 31.
At the elementary schools, the thieves stole “a couple of laptops” at each site, as well as “a lot of senseless trashing of office space,” said Marc Winger, Newhall School District superintendent.
At Hart high and Sierra Vista Junior High, school staff members were still conducting an inventory to figure out exactly what was stolen, Pinsker said. She didn’t have a dollar amount available for the damage and losses.
“The Sheriff’s Department is working with us on this, and we hope to find the perpetrators,” Pinsker said.
“No suspects at this time, it’s an ongoing investigation,” said Detective Norian of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “There’s some film, but nobody’s been identified.”
At Newhall and Old Orchard, it appears as though the vandals, who also made off with a checkbook for the school’s Associated Student Body, were looking for more valuables.
“I don’t know if that was incidental or the same party,” Winger added.
“(The Sheriff’s Department) has been great in stepping up patrols, and we know they’re actively looking into it,” Winger said. “They were all over it as soon as we called.”
Winger said the schools have taken several steps in regard to security to prevent a repeat measures, but there was a more troubling concern.
Some times, the cost of ongoing security may outweigh the loss of valuables, he said.
“It really angers us when this happens, but it’s hard to make those decisions, as far as how much you armor these sites,” Winger said. “We’re in the midst of all that right now.”
Vandals Hit Schools in Newhall, Canyon Country
