VENTURA : Police Seek Help in School Burglaries

Police in Ventura are asking for help in solving a trio of school burglaries this week on the city’s east end.

The break-ins at Balboa Middle School and Portola and Mound elementary schools occurred Monday night or Tuesday morning.

Six portable compact disc players and an electric keyboard were stolen from the elementary schools. Cheese was taken from the cafeteria at Balboa.

“In the years I’ve been investigating school burglaries, there’s no rhyme or reason to what they do,” said Detective Jeff Killion.

The burglaries were discovered by janitors arriving at the schools early Tuesday. The doors on the elementary classrooms had been kicked open.

The burglars avoided classrooms equipped with alarms, leading police to suspect that they are students or very familiar with the campuses.

“They apparently were selective in the classrooms,” Killion said. “There was not big ransacking.” The loss was estimated at $1,000, although police believe more items may be reported missing from the burglaries once school is back in session after the holidays.

Anyone with information about the crimes should call Killion at 339-4475.