Bored teen breaks into Cathedral

Published 12:05 am Friday, August 3, 2012

NATCHEZ — Summer boredom was the reason a 14-year-old teenager gave police for breaking into Cathedral School two days in a row to use a classroom computer and swipe an iPad from the band room.

Natchez Police Department Detective Jerry Ford said the teenager, who he said just moved to Natchez three months ago, climbed through an unlocked window to a classroom at approximately 2 a.m. Monday.

The teenager, Ford said, reportedly wanted to use a computer so he broke into the school.

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“Basically, he said he was bored and went in (the school) and wanted to look at videos on the computer and went and got soft drinks and popcorn and spent quite some time in there,” Ford said.

Ford said the teacher whose classroom the teenager was using came in at between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. to set up her classroom and discovered something was “not right.”

Ford said the teacher pushed on the door of the restroom, and the door was being pushed from the other side.

The teacher, Ford said, went back to her classroom and noticed that someone had been there and then saw the teenager.

“She screamed and ran, and she went one direction, and he went in another direction,” Ford said.

The teenager, Ford said, reportedly came to the school again Tuesday and went in the band room through an unlocked door and stole an iPad tablet computer and two pairs of headphones.

Ford said the teenager said he had considered going to the football field to steal a tackling dummy but thought he might look suspicious carrying the dummy.

Police were able to catch the teenager after a homeowner reportedly came home while the teenager was burglarizing the house. The homeowner reportedly chased the teenager and followed the teen in his vehicle until police arrived.

Ford said the teen confessed to breaking into Cathedral and could be charged later in other burglaries.