Borrego Sun - Since 1949

The Borrego Springs Unified School District has been the target by vandals who made off with multiple items, including a golf cart, motion lights, a camera, equipment, among several others. The amount of what was taken and the estimated damages has not been fully evaluated at the time of print.

Jessica Gillespie, Director of Business Services for the Borrego Springs Unified School District said they have noticed things in the past, but now, it’s all continuing to add up.

“We’ve noticed a few lights here and there, but now it’s more locks, more storages being opened, a constant pattern. It doesn’t seem like much was or has been taken, but it does start to add up and the value becomes a lot. It also does take away from our resources,” she said.

In the early morning of Jan. 25, at about 3 a.m., the district’s transportation yard was broken into, and the thieves

made way with a golf cart, table saw and a camera.

Gillespie said the staff went into work, but did not see any suspicious activity at that time. However, upon their return at around 7 a.m., they noticed things were not in the right place and investigated.

“The fence was cut open and rolled up to be able to drive the green Metabo brand golf cart out of the yard. Based on the cut of the fence, it seems that the suspects could possibly be professionals and know what they are doing,” Gillespie said.

The total value of the items taken was an estimated $4,100.

Upon further inspection of the buildings, it was noticed that the electrical box was tampered with, as well as the possibility of attempting to cut the power.

The district has been working with the local sheriffs who, Gillespie noted, “have been very responsive” in coming out to assess the damages.

They were, however, able to trace some tracks of the golf cart back to a residence near the elementary school, so some suspects can’t confirm at this time of how many or who the suspects are.

Then on Jan. 27, a teacher reported multiple containers at the high school storage were broken into with bolt cutters.

“It looks like someone rummaged through those containers, which includes our Red Cross container, along with attempted break-ins to many others, including our sports storage.”

The inventory of the sports sheds are still being evaluated and they are unsure if uniforms or equipment had been taken. It also seems that there could have been an attempt at taking the copper wire. At this time, it is hard to pinpoint the time and exact date things were taken and broken into.

“We are going to have IT look at the cameras and see what else has been done, and then assess what more we can do,” Gillespie said.

They hope to secure the transportation yards better, and upgrade their camera situation, on top of possibly more morning perimeter checks.

The school district is asking for everyone to stay vigilant and if they notice anything odd or out of place, to please report it immediately.

“The more they report unusual activity and if more people are aware, hopefully this will stop,” Gillespie said.

No suspects were apprehended at the time of print.

If anyone has any information, please contact the BSUSD office at 760-767-5357 or contact the local police department.