Thieves broke in to the Lauderdale Street building that contains the Dallas County Schools main office and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System’s Dallas County office late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning, stealing several items and leaving employees shaken.

Callie Nelson, County Extension Coordinator for the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said this is the first time she can remember someone breaking into the building.

“We’ve never had a break-in since I’ve been here, and I’ve been here since 2004,” Nelson said. “It has some of the staff not feeling as secure, having their space been invaded.”

Nelson said it appears the thieves entered the building through an emergency exit on the backside of the building, and then made there way through several building belonging to the Extension Office, stealing several items along the way.

Nelson said that a number of school board checks are missing, as well at 25 of the 30 iPads the office had used to teach students in the area about healthy eating.

“We are missing like 15 checks from our county checking account,” Nelson said. “The iPads were in a cart, but I guess it was too heavy for them to carry, so they dropped some or left some behind.”

David Haygood, with Dallas County Schools, said while his personal office was tossed, nothing was stolen — and nothing was stolen from any office belonging to the district.

“Luckily for us, on the school board side, we didn’t have anything taken,” Haygood said. “They had the opportunity, but I think they knew what they were looking for. They had specific items in mind.”

After working for the school system for seven years, Haygood said the burglary had left both he and his coworkers worried about their safety.

“It makes you feel violated,” Haygood said.

 

Be sure to read Friday’s edition of the Times-Journal for more details.