Thieves steal safe from HBS

By Dale Liesch, | Dadeville RecordMiranda Mattheis | Dadeville Record

Published Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Last Thursday, staff members at Horseshoe Bend School had more on their minds than returning students Thursday as they walked through the front door of the school to find the school’s safe missing.

Thieves made off with the safe after breaking into the front office and using hand tools to tear down the wall where the safe was located, according to police reports.

John McKelvey from the New Site Police Department said he has “a couple of people of interest” in the case.

“They aren’t actually suspects at this time,” McKelvey said. “The people of interest at this time are not students. They may be past students but I don’t think they are enrolled at this time. There are a number of people, somewhere between four and seven. I think it will come to a head pretty quick.”

McKelvey said school staff called in the report at about 7 a.m. Thursday morning.

“It happened sometime early this morning between 12:30 a.m. and 7 a.m.,” McKelvey said.

McKelvey said the thieves made off with an undetermined amount of money when they lifted the safe but McKelvey is confident that with the help of the Sheriff’s Department the thieves will be apprehended.

“With the assistance of the agencies we have here I think we’ll be able to close (the case) out,” said McKelvey. “I couldn’t do it without the Sheriff’s Department. They are just wonderful. It’s good opportunity for the public to know the agencies do work together.”

HBS principal Casey Davis said the thieves did not get much from the 3’ by 3’ safe they stole.

“There was actually not anything of value in the safe,” Davis said.

Davis said the only items in the safe were some empty money boxes the school uses to collect money at ball games and a jar used to collect tickets.

Davis said the safe was a wall safe that was bolted to the floor.

Aside from the safe, Davis said a handheld electronic personal organizer was stolen along with the television in the office.

School employee Amandita Burnette said she is amazed that someone would steal from the school.

“This is a shocking thing,” Burnette said. “I never thought about anything like this happening here.”

Tallapoosa County Schools Superintendent Ginger East said the break in will not delay the start of school.

“We’re proceeding as usual,” she said.

East said the school is already working to repair the damage.

“We’ve already replaced the glass in the doors and the office,” she said. “We haven’t added up the damage. It’s certainly regrettable. I have a lot of confidence in our law enforcement.”

McKelvey said there has been an increase in these types of crimes this year.

“I’ve been busier in the last three months than I have been in the last four years,” said MeKelvey. “I don’t know if this (burglary) was a random thing or if it is something that was thought out.”

McKelvey said the recent downturn in the economy could be to blame for a recent increase in crime activity.

“The economy going the way it’s going right now I’m busier than I’ve ever been,” McKelvey said. “I’m attributing it to that.”