Two men were arrested Sunday on charges they stole 27 Apple iPads from a Catholic school.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
Joshua Paul DeBlieck, 21, of Middletown, and James Gillespie, 24, of Levittown, were charged with burglary, criminal trespassing, institutional vandalism of an education facility and related offenses.
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DeBlieck and Gillespie broke into the the Holy Family Regional Catholic School on Trenton Road in Levittown shortly before 11 p.m. through the cafeteria doors last Tuesday, according to police.
The two made their way to a locked metal storage cabinet in the faculty room and made off with 27 iPad 2 tablets, according to court documents.
Police said DeBlieck and his girlfriend sold several of the stolen iPads to a reuse vending machine in the Oxford Valley Mall. The vending kiosk purchases electronics and recycles them.
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Police said the couple sold the iPads to the vending machine, which requires you to show a photo ID, submit a thumbprint and have your photo taken. DeBlieck was captured on video wearing the same shorts he was wearing during the burglary, court papers say.
A family member of DeBlieck’s tipped police that they found an iPad and four iPad chargers in his room, according to court papers. Police said the iPad matched the serial number of a stolen device.
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Investigators confirmed through LeadsOnline.com, an online investigation system that tracks business transactions, that the iPads the couple sold to the kiosk in the mall matched the serious numbers of the ones stolen from the school, according to court papers.
DeBlieck was arraigned Sunday afternoon and Gillespie came before a judge late Sunday night. Both are in county jail on 10 percent of $250,000 each.
Gillespie is currently awaiting trial on previous cases out of Lower Makefield and Middletown. One cases involved conspiracy and child endangerment.
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Editor’s Note: All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The story was compiled using information from police and public court documents.
