Fmr. Lakeville Middle School Principal Pleads Guilty To Stalking, Burglary & Identity Theft
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The former principal of a Lakeville middle school pleaded guilty to stalking, burglary and identity theft, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom announced Monday.
Backstrom said Christopher Jerome Endicott, 51, pleaded guilty to two counts of stalking, two counts of burglary and one count of identity theft, stemming from five separate cases from June 2013 to June 2018.
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Endicott was determined to be a suspect in the case after officials at Independent School District 196 discovered someone had unauthorized access to the district's information systems.
Investigators seized Endicott's computer at home and discovered a trove of data, including the personal information of school employees and their families and credit card information of several individuals. They also found out he had access to several email accounts that weren't his. In writings police discovered at his home, Endicott admitted to using the email accounts and credit card information, saying he was in "financial ruin."
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Endicott was first arrested for harassment and stalking in February 2018. After he was released on bail, prosecutors say he began stalking the detective who was investigating him, and was arrested and charged again. Later that month, prosecutors charged him with burglary for breaking into his Apple Valley neighbor's home in 2015.
A pre-sentence investigation and psychological evaluation were ordered by the judge before Endicott faces sentencing June 17.