Three suspects were arrested on burglary, theft and malicious mischief charges on Monday after Thurston County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to a report of a burglary at Rochester High School.
School staff contacted the sheriff’s office about the burglary sometime after 7 a.m. on July 3, according to a spokesperson from the sheriff’s office.
“During the investigation, deputies learned three subjects recently entered the school grounds after taking a gate apart and stole numerous pieces of lawn equipment. If stealing items belonging to one of our schools was not enough, they attempted to steal one of the trucks on the property after breaking the window and damaging the ignition,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office stated in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
“Rochester schools have well-placed security cameras, which were able to help identify those stealing. Over the next few days, deputies located and arrested all three subjects for multiple crimes,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Some stolen items had already been trafficked by the time deputies located the suspects, but the remaining items, including those marked with “Maintenance,” were located and returned to the school, according to the sheriff’s office.
The suspects, who have not been identified by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, are facing possible second-degree burglary, second-degree theft and third-degree malicious mischief charges.