Multiple Poway High School students found their license plates stolen, swapped or damaged in the school's overflow parking lot. The school says it cannot install security cameras because the city owns the lot.
The string of thefts left students filing police reports and paying out of pocket for replacement plates and registration stickers, The Iliad, Poway High's student newspaper, first reported Monday, Oct. 5.
The tampering ranged from plates being fully removed to front and back plates being swapped, registration stickers peeled off and plates dented or damaged. No suspect had been identified as of Monday.
Junior Scarlette Mullenger had her plate stolen, got a replacement from the DMV, then had the new plate stolen too.
Mullenger said she filed police and school reports and was interviewed by deputies at her home, then had to repeat the entire process after the second theft. "I had to go to the DMV twice to get a license plate twice," she told The Iliad.
The overflow lot sits on city-owned land, which limits what the school can do. Students have asked for security cameras, but campus security officer David DeLon said the school's hands are tied.
"The parking lot is city-owned, so it's not our property, and we can't do much about it," DeLon told The Iliad.
Campus security, Resource Officer Marshall Abbott and school administrators are helping affected students, according to The Iliad. The school encouraged anyone with information about the thefts to contact campus security or administration.
The Iliad reported replacement costs at $60 per student. The DMV's fee schedule lists plates and stickers at $55 to $56, with the gap likely reflecting processing fees.
No statement from the City of Poway or the San Diego County Sheriff's Office Poway Station was available regarding the thefts, any planned patrols or possible camera installation. The exact number of vehicles affected has not been disclosed.
Residents with information can contact the Sheriff's Poway Station at (858) 868-3200 for non-emergency dispatch or (858) 513-2800 for the business line.
