Stolen computers from WSR recovered

The Department of Public Safety has recovered the four desktop computers that were reportedly stolen from William S. Reyes Elementary School in Chalan Kanoa last weekend.

In a media briefing held yesterday at the DPS Criminal Investigation Section office, the unit’s commander Major Edward H. Manalili said the stolen personal computers were retrieved Thursday night.

He said at around 8:40pm on Thursday, police conducted a traffic stop in Koblerville area, when a gray Toyota Camry LE, with plate number ACS 411, failed to match the DPS read out.

The police immediately pulled over the gray car along a curb and investigated the identity of the car. The police found out that the car matched the details of a stolen vehicle from the Department of Labor last week.

Manalili said two juveniles age 17 and 13 years old were arrested. He, however, said that he would not be able to disclose the identities of the suspects because the case is still being investigated.

Manalili said further investigation led to the discovery of the location of the stolen computers from WSR.

He said the suspects’ statements led the criminal investigation team to check on an Internet café in Chalan Piao where they found the stolen computers that included four CPUs, four keyboards, three colored monitors, and one flat-panel color monitor.

He said he could not again divulge the name of the Internet establishment because the case is still pending investigation. Police said they would have to seek the assistance of the Attorney General’s Office about the establishment’s culpability on the stolen property.

Manalili said they could not conclude whether the same suspects were behind the theft at WSR.

“I don’t have the info either if they are students or not, but looking at their age they could be,” said Manalili.

Manalili said as soon as his office has taken necessary procedures in documenting the recovered items, they will send them all back to WSR.

He said he did not want to interrupt with the schoolchildren’s learning so his team might send them all back to the school early next week. He added that the recovery of the stolen computers were all about good police work in the CNMI.

He also said the stolen car would also be forwarded back to DOL next week after documentation and inspection.