Alleged Drug Dealer From Oak Park High School Suspected In Calculator Thefts
OAK PARK, Ill. (CBS) -- A high school senior from Oak Park is in a heap of trouble with the law, as police crack a calculator caper.
As WBBM Newsradio's Bernie Tafoya reports, the thefts of 20 calculators and an iPod have been tied to Pawel Borowski-Beszta, 17, a senior at Oak Park-River Forest High School.
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Borowski-Beszta, of the 800 block of North Woodbine Avenue in Oak Park, was arrested in an apartment in the 0-99 block of Harrison Street just after 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 6.
More than 200 personal electronics including calculators, iPods and cell phones were found earlier this month in the apartment where Borowski-Beszta was arrested. Police said the apartment served as a drug house.
Since the arrest, police have been comparing serial numbers of the electronics found in the Harrison Street apartment.
"We've identified 20 people who say their calculators were stolen," Oak Park police Detective Cmdr. Ladon Reynolds said.
"Our investigation is still in process," Reynolds continued. "Our goal is to return as much property to students as possible."
Part of the problem is that students at the high school do not report thefts to police. Reynolds noted that none of the owners of the 20 calculators filed reports with Oak Park police.
Some calculators are valued at more than $100 each.
Thefts at the high school are only reflected in police crime summaries ¬— and published in local newspapers — if they are formally reported. Otherwise, the thefts are treated as an internal school matter.
Oak Park-River Forest Principal Nate Rouse said last week that school officials are working with police through the school resource officer to determine whether any of the calculators recovered during Borowski-Beszta's arrest came from the school. So far, he said, none have been identified as belonging to the school.
Borowski-Beszta's possession charges included 28.7 grams of cocaine and nearly 5 ounces of marijuana, both drugs packaged for distribution. Police said he also had a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun with two clips of ammunition and "over $1,000 cash."
In September 2009, county circuit court clerk records show, Borowski-Beszta was ticketed by River Forest police for possession of marijuana and a scale.
At Oak Park-River Forest, Borowski-Beszta apparently has a reputation as a drug dealer.
A former student and a current student told Oak Leaves on condition of anonymity that Borowski-Beszta "was advertised" around the school as a source for drugs.
"If you wanted marijuana, you could easily get it through connections of his," one student said.
Oak Leaves contributed to this report, via the Sun-Times Media Wire.
