Police seek man with ‘good understanding’ of Missouri school that suffered theft

BALLARD, Mo. (KCTV) - Investigators are searching for a man with “a very good understanding” of a Missouri school’s operations after thousands of dollars were stolen during an overnight break-in.

The Bates County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office says that on Sunday, March 16, emergency crews were called to the Ballard High School, at 10247 Missouri Highway 18, with reports of a burglary. Surveillance footage showed the incident to have happened around midnight.

Law enforcement officials noted that the suspect broke into the school and took cash cash from several locations. He then attempted to disable the lights and camera systems via a server room. In the process, he damaged and stole several components and storage devices within that room.

According to investigators, the unidentified suspect caused thousands of dollars in damage. They are believed to have a very good understanding of the school’s layout and inner workings.

The Sheriff’s Office has described the suspect as a male in a green hoodie, blue jeans and tennis shoes. He was wearing a mask and gloves at the time of the crime. His vehicle was described as a dark in color 4-door sedan.

Anyone with information about the suspect or the burglary should report it to detectives at 660-679-3232. A $250 reward has been offered for information that leads to a conviction of those responsible.

“We are working closely with school officials to resolve this case and I am confident that we will identify and find who is responsible for this crime,” Sheriff Anderson said. “It is disheartening to see someone commit a crime like this at one of our schools and cause fear for the students, parents and staff.”

Law enforcement officials have also asked those who live near the school to check their security systems around the time frame for any activity that could be related. There is no indication there is any type of threat to students.

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