Cops: Man stole from wrecked Joplin school

KANSAS CITY, Mo., June 15 (UPI) -- A Kansas City, Mo., man stole four Apple laptops from a tornado-shattered school in Joplin, police said.

Charles Rice Jr., 41, was charged Tuesday with four counts of receiving stolen property and jailed with bond set at $10,000, The Kansas City Star reported.

Police said Rice had photos of the May 22 tornado's destruction on his cellphone and told someone he went to Joplin as a volunteer. But when questioned, he denied visiting Joplin and said he bought the laptops at a swap shop, court records state.

Rice planned to sell the laptops to relatives and lie about their cost so he could charge them more, police said.

Rice asked a computer technical support company for help unlocking the password on one of the computers, authorities say. The computer expert saw a screensaver and software that belonged to the Joplin School District and cooperated with police in a sting.

Police linked the machines' serial numbers to Emerson Elementary School, which was severely damaged and may be declared a total loss.

Joplin police say they have arrested 56 people for theft after the disaster.