School district compound burglarized

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - The Pensacola Police Department said more than 50 Escambia County School District  maintenance vehicles were burglarized in one night, actually in the span of about two hours.

“I won’t call it common, but it’s almost like walking through a mall area and trying doors and looking in cars to see if there’s anything in there to steal and breaking into cars and stealing it," said PPD Captain David Alexander.

This time, the two alleged suspects traded a mall for the J.E. Hall Center, which is guarded by a six-foot fence.  They paid no mind to the barbed wire surrounding the compound, getting in by cutting through a chained lock.

Once inside, police said they hit 52 county maintenance trucks and vans.

Police said the suspects used a variety of different ways to get into the vehicles.

Authorities said of the cars were left unlocked.  Investigators said on a few occasions, the suspects broke a window, but the majority of the time they used a device to push the keyhole in.

Police said between $20,000 and $25,000 of compound equipment was stolen, including three cell phones, eight laptops, and a truck, which served as the getaway vehicle.

“It’s a bad thing to have happened, and we’re hoping that we can get cooperation with the public because I’m quite sure those computers and that equipment is around here somewhere," said Alexander.  "Somebody will probably know something either now or soon and I hope they will call us and tell us.”

FOX10 News contacted the school district to see what kind of security measures are taken at the compound. They said they have surveillance cameras, but will explore other options as a result of this crime.

Police believe the suspects took the tags and decals off the stolen county vehicle, a 2003 white Chevrolet Silverado.

Anyone having information on the incident is asked to contact Detective James Gore at (850) 435 – 1979 or the Pensacola Police Department at (850) 435 – 1900.