Preg mom steals from school

One of the schools here, Springdale Elementary, fell prey to these bunch of stealing, no good for nothing, folks. See the story below from today's newspaper:

Theft ring targets teachers' credit and debit cards
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Police are looking for four suspects who have been walking into elementary schools and stealing credit and debit cards from teachers' purses.

Three schools in Cherokee County have been targeted.

And police say the suspects are believed to have committed similar crimes in Clarke, Bibb, Cobb, Crisp, Floyd, Henry and Oconee counties. Authorities also are investigating similar thefts in Habersham and DeKalb counties.

The suspects walk into schools while classes are in session and seek out empty classrooms or offices, according to Detective Kristen Murphy of the Woodstock Police Department. They then take credit and debit cards from teacher's purses, and go to the nearest stores to buy things.

"I don't know if they see the teachers as easy targets or if they are comfortable in the school, but we need to find out who these people are," Murphy said. "Besides the fact that they will continue to victimize the teachers and staff, these people are wandering around in our schools at the same time as the children. That is rather alarming."

Three of the suspects are female, two of whom appear to be pregnant. The fourth suspect is a man who has an unusually high voice for his size.

"These people are walking into the school, and if they are challenged by staff or administration, they are smart enough to have a valid reason for being there," Murphy said. "They've picked up a child's name off a posted class roster or something like that, in case they're noticed."

Most of the incidents occurred during the early morning drop-off or after school hours, said Diane Baggett, detective investigator for the Cherokee County School District Police.

On Feb. 9, a security bulletin was sent out to all Cherokee County public schools, reminding faculty and staff to secure their belongings. It also asked for additional attention to anyone visiting the school without proper identification or visitor registration.