HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Burglaries continue to be a problem on island, as the stakeholders of Jose Rios Middle School in Piti know all too well.
The campus was broken into once again overnight Sunday, the Guam Department of Education confirmed with The Guam Daily Post.
Ten classrooms at the Home of the Voyagers were hit — the third burglary in just a week, but totaling five incidents in the last four weeks, according to Erika Cruz, the deputy superintendent of operations for GDOE.
Personal items were stolen, based on preliminary information provided to the Post by the island’s public school system.
“Food were the stuff taken from the classrooms,” said Cruz. “There was nothing missing that belonged to the government. It was more personal stuff.”
She said evidence suggests youths had caused the damage.
“What they were stealing seemed as if they were students or kids that were involved in the break-in, and not necessarily adults,” Cruz said.
Officers with the Guam Police Department were at the campus Monday morning, after being contacted about the burglary.
“GPD and the crime lab were there (Monday) morning to do an assessment and take fingerprints if there was any,” she said.
Cruz shared the protocols when situations like this are reported.
“The routine — basically GPD goes in, the crime lab goes in, and teachers make an assessment of their classroom to see what is missing,” she said.
‘Very easy to target’
She attributed the chain of break-ins at the campus to its location.
“JRMS, I used to be the administrator there,” Cruz said. “We had those kinds of problems until we were able to find out who were the ones breaking into the school. It is such an isolated school. It’s dark, our neighbor is the cemetery and so it’s very isolated and very easy to target when a building is very isolated such as Jose Rios.”
GPD is patrolling the area when officers are available, as it is short-staffed, she said.
An active investigation continues, GPD added.
“These cases are active and investigation is ongoing,” said Officer Berlyn Savella, police spokesperson.
Jose Rios Middle School in Piti was broken into once again Sunday, officials from the Guam Department of Education said.
