Document text
HAZE Temp: 47 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Thursday, November 21, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 11, 2002 Police leave opening for burglar, who blunders right in By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune PHOENIX — If you’re burglarizing a building for the eighth time, don’t fall for the old open- window trick. Phoenix police officers arrested Thomas E. Giacolini, 25, of the 600 block of West First Street in Phoenix early Saturday morning, solving a string of school break-ins and burglaries. Police got their man after they left a two-inch opening in a classroom window and then waited in hiding at Phoenix Elementary School. After passing by the open window a couple of times about 1:40 a.m., Giacolini climbed through it into the classroom, according to police Lt. Robert McKean. "When I turned my flashlight on him, he reached his hands for the ceiling so fast his feet nearly left the ground," said McKean. Giacolini, wearing latex gloves and carrying plastic garbage bags, confessed to McKean and Officer Glenn Patchett not only that his intention was to steal property but also that he had committed the other burglaries. He was taken into custody and charged with nine counts of burglary. The stake-out came after two months of receiving reports of seven break-ins at the elementary school and two break-ins at Phoenix High School, totaling an estimated $15,000 in thefts of everything from computer equipment and electronics to a cash collection jar for a classroom outing. Phoenix Elementary School Principal Lynn Calhoun said she’s extremely relieved that the burglar was caught. "The last computer that was taken was brand new," she said. "We had bought that computer through students selling tubs of cookie dough." She said there had even been teachers’ personal items stolen, including day planners and snacks. "We wanted the person caught," she said. The Phoenix Police Department had mainly been doing patrol checks and stopping pedestrians late at night, until they established the pattern of the break-ins, said McKean. Giacolini had sold the equipment to several individuals, whose names he turned over to authorities. Police have recovered about $5,000 worth of stolen goods, including three video cassette recorders, three laptop computers, an Apple computer, a stereo, a printer and a digital camera. "We’re about a third of the way there," said McKean, adding that the investigation is continuing and additional arrests may be made. "We’ve got a few more people to talk to." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S