An arrest was made last week in the stolen iPad case. Joseph Jarrett, 23, of Bickmore was charged Wednesday with receiving and transferring stolen property, illegal entry into a building and conspiracy to commit a felony. Court documents indicate Clay High staff identified Jarrett as a suspect in the iPad thefts and contacted West Virginia State Police. Trooper S. L. Bass traveled to Jarrett’s home to question him about the 27 missing iPads at which time Jarrett admitted to the thefts. Jarrett says he was shadowing as a custodian when he first saw the iPads. Jarrett and a 16-year-old male allegedly took four iPads and four chargers on Dec. 4, putting them inside a garbage bag to hide them from school security cameras. Jarrett and the boy left the school through the boiler room and placed the iPads inside Jarrett’s car, according to the complaint. The duo returned to the school on Dec. 11, stealing the remaining 23 iPads. The electronics were then sold or traded, Jarrett says, to buy Christmas presents for his children. When asked if he committed the crime, Jarrett said “Yes, I’m sorry I did and I’m working to get them back to the school.”
Joseph Jarrett was arrested and released on $200,000 bond. A juvenile petition was filed against the teen accomplice. Police are still trying to recover all of the stolen iPads and are urging anyone with information to contact them at 304-286-3185.
