School Burglaries Hit Elkridge

School is out, and so are vandals.

In the past two weeks, there have been a handful of break-ins at Howard County public schools. The latest was in Elkridge, when plywood was stolen after forced entry into a trailer at , reported August 12.

This was the fourth reported school break-in since the end of July, according to police.

• On August 8, a portable classroom was reportedly broken into and a speaker stolen from Laurel Woods Elementary in Laurel. Police said the speaker was recovered nearby.
• Patuxent Valley Middle School in Jessup was reportedly broken into on August 2.
• On July 31, a vending machine was damaged after a break-in at Mt. Hebron High School in Ellicott City. Wire and a generator were reported stolen from Mt. Hebron after locks were cut, reported August 13.

The trend isn’t unheard of, according to Elizabeth Schroen, public information officer at the police department. But it’s not a trend of breaking into schools. 

“Moreso than school break-ins, they’ve mostly been at construction areas in the schools,” she said. “We do tend to see an uptick [in construction break-ins] in the summer.”

Thieves are mostly after copper and high-valued tools, Schroen said.

For questions about this blotter, email brian.hooks@patch.com.

This article has been updated to include the second break-in at Mt. Hebron and comments from Howard County Police Department. Ellicott City Patch Editor Brandie Jefferson contributed to the reporting.