Midlands school officials warned of burglar

Richland County authorities warned local school officials to be on the lookout for a woman who is accused of stealing food from the cafeteria during a weekend spent at the Longleaf Middle School at 1160 Longreen Parkway off Clemson Road. She entered the northeast Columbia middle school on Friday March 21 saying she wanted a drink from the water fountain but didn’t leave, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release.

The woman is thought to have pulled a similar stunt at the University of South Carolina Sumter campus earlier this year, Richland Sheriff Leon Lott said.

School officials are warned not to let the woman into their school buildings no matter why she says she is there.

Anyone who has come into contact with the woman or knows her whereabouts is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-888-CRIME-SC, text CRIMES (274637) and mark the beginning of the message with “TIPSC” followed by the tip information, or log onto www.midlandscrimestoppers.com and click on the red “Submit a tip” tab.

-- Rachael Myers Lowe

This story was originally published March 28, 2014 at 6:34 PM.