Police in Rockland, Maine, are looking for a burglar who smashed his or her way through a city elementary school, got into the nurse's office and stole drugs prescribed to students.
The theft happened around 2:30 a.m. at South School on Saturday morning. The incident left glass strewn about in hallways.
"Entry was forced in through the rear of the building and several windows broken inside," said Rockland Police Det. Alex Gaylor.
School staff expected classes to be cancelled Monday while the mess was cleaned up, but custodians were able to clean and replace the glass early.
"Our custodial staff was outstanding. They responded that night to assist police," said Principal Justin Bennett.
The incident rattled city parents and administrators, though police and school officials say the building is safe.
Lorraine Ritzi, a mother with a student in the school, says her son found out about the theft from her sister and was scared to go to class.
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"His nerves were all sorts of wound up," she said. "It took a few hours to finally convince him to go to school."
Investigators are not able to elaborate on the type of drugs that were stolen, but say they could potentially be abused.
This is not the first time South School has been a target for theft. Rockland Police say a similar incident happened about two years ago, at the same school, when classes were held in a different building next door.
In that case, as well, someone took drugs from the nurse's office as part of a string of similar crimes.
A person was charged after those burglaries.
Rockland Police have not said if the prior incidents are related to what happened at South School over the weekend, but believe the public is safe.
