By admin 
DURHAM, N.C. (WNCN) — A Durham man was arrested in two AC unit thefts, including one over the weekend at a Durham County elementary school, deputies said Thursday.
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Deputies are also seeking other suspects in recent thefts of HVAC units, according to a Durham County Sheriff’s Office news release.
The first theft was discovered on Saturday at Glenn Elementary School at 2415 E Geer St., where the cost to replace it likely topped $1 million, deputies and an AC contractor said.
Workers showed up at the elementary school on Saturday and discovered the HVAC system was damaged and that components of the system were missing.
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Various crews with a very large chiller unit rented from Sunbelt to replace the stolen unit at Glenn Elementary School, according to Mechworks Inc. Photo courtesy: Mechworks Inc. -
A very large chiller unit rented from Sunbelt to replace the stolen unit at Glenn Elementary School, according to Mechworks Inc. Photo courtesy: Mechworks Inc. -
The area where the large HVAC unit was before it was stolen. Photo courtesy: Mechworks Inc. -
The area where the large HVAC unit was before it was stolen. Photo courtesy: Mechworks Inc.
A company that replaced and installed the AC system parts said the theft involved two masked suspects and that a large truck and trailer were used to haul elements of the system away.
The second case was reported earlier in August at a business on TW Alexander Drive in Research Triangle Park, deputies said.
At Glenn Elementary, a company called Mechworks Inc. finished working on the system about two weeks before the theft happened, the firm said in a social media post.
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The company reported that a new Trane chiller and the existing chiller were “leveled and chopped up for parts.”
The company said that “water was spraying throughout the yard until we got there to shut off the pumps.”
Teams worked for several hours to install new units and get them functional. Mechworks estimated the cost of labor, replacements, and a large rental unit at more than $1 million.
William Leroy Jenkins, 38, was arrested on Wednesday, deputies said.
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The sheriff’s office said Jenkins was charged with:
- 2 counts felony conspiracy
- 2 counts felony larceny
- 2 counts injury to prop to obtain nonferrous metal >= $ 10,000
- Identity theft
- Obtain property by false pretense
Jenkins, was on federal post-release supervision at the time of his arrest, was held without bond in the Durham County Detention Center, deputies said.
“The investigation into these incidents is continuing, and additional arrests are expected,” the release said.
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