A maintenance worker has been charged with felony theft following the investigation into the illegal removal of 24 iPads from a school in Crystal Lake, police said.
Officials at Richard Bernotas Middle School discovered the iPads were missing from two classrooms on Jan. 3 when the building reopened after winter break, authorities said.
Several private companies had been hired “to perform various maintenance related services” at the school during the holiday break. A Chicago man, Carlos J. Lucas, an employee of one of those companies, was identified as a suspect after one of the stolen iPads was activated, police said.
Authorities have linked Lucas, 30, to 5 of the missing tablet computers, though none has been recovered and the investigation continues, Crystal Lake Deputy Police Chief Derek Hyrkas said.
An arrest warrant was obtained for Lucas and he voluntarily surrendered to police on Thursday, officials said.
Lucas was charged with one count of felony theft over $500 from a school, a class 2 felony, police said.
Amanda Marrazzo is a freelance reporter.