Woodbury School was charged with felony theft www.privateofficer.com

 

SALEM NH May 4 2012 — A teacher at Woodbury School was charged with felony theft for allegedly stealing another teacher’s camera from his classroom, police said on Wednesday.

Stephen Pierce, 46, of Salem was booked at the Salem police station on Monday night, charged with theft by deception and receiving stolen property.

Police began investigating the camera theft on April 6.

A sixth-grade teacher at Woodbury School reported to police that a Nikon camera worth $679 was taken from his classroom, according to Patten.

Police suggested on Wednesday that they are investigating other cases of theft possibly linked to Pierce.

“While we have made an arrest in this case, we believe there may have been similar types of theft, and he may be a suspect in those cases as well,” Deputy Police Chief Shawn Patten said.

School Resource Officer Robert Genest asked an administrative assistant at the police department to review local pawn slips to see if the camera turned up at a nearby second-hand store, police said.

The assistant found a slip on April 20 that matched the stolen camera, Patten said.

Genest confirmed the stolen camera was sold by Pierce, according to police. Pierce had to submit his driver’s license to the pawn shop in order to sell it, Patten said.

Such information is regularly shared with police. The camera was pawned for $150, police said.

Pierce was released on $2,500 personal recognizance bail pending arraignment in 10th Circuit Court in Salem.

Each of the charges are Class B felonies, punishable by up to 3½ to 7 years in state prison.

Pierce’s job status remained unclear as of last night.

School officials could not be reached for comment.