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Orem police have arrested a man for trespassing at an elementary school, but they are also investigating him as a possible suspect in computer theft scheme.
For the past month, Orem police have been investigating a case where a man went to Sharon Elementary School, used the name of a computer repairman for the school district and was given access to the library. Two Apple iMac computers disappeared then from that library.
Last week, school employees believed they saw the same man at the school and called police.
The 29-year-old man was confronted by the employees about why he was in the school without checking in at the office. They say he gave them a fake name and said he was checking on his daughter, who was supposedly a student in the school.
The man left, but employees got his license plate. His van was later stopped by police, but officers say he kept changing his story about why he was at the school.
It turns out he is a computer repairman who specializes in Apple computers and has a previous arrest for computer thefts. He does not work for the school district.
Police took Brandon Strauss to the Utah County Jail, where he was booked on charges of theft and trespassing on school property. When detectives tried to question him further on the case, they say he asked for a lawyer. Strauss has since posted bond and is out of jail.
Orem police today say they have not recovered the stolen computers and are still investigating Strauss as a possible suspect in the school case. It will be up to prosecutors to decide what charges will be pressed against Strauss.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
