Man arrested after series of school, business burglaries across Iowa and Missouri including Lewis County

LEWIS COUNTY, Mo. (WGEM) - A man was arrested on Tuesday after a months-long investigation into 16 school burglaries throughout Iowa and Missouri.

According to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, on February 1, a suspect broke into the MFA Agri Services Office near La Belle, Mo., where the suspect took $3,000 in money and gas cards.

On February 25, the Lewis County C-1 School District reported that Highland High School was broken into and burglarized where he stole several thousand dollars.

According to the Wapello County, Iowa, Sheriff’s Office, on Feb. 2, the Cardinal Community School District reported its elementary, middle, and high school buildings were broken into.

The suspects caused extensive property damage and stole over $4,000 in cash.

As deputies in Wapello County investigated the incident, similar burglaries at schools in Missouri and Iowa were reported.

The Wapello County Sheriff’s office said it took the lead in the case while it worked with several jurisdictions to track the suspect’s movements.

This led them to Jacksonville, Arkansas, where Curtis Lee Barton, 40, lives. While looking into Barton, they learned that he was currently on parole for a previous conviction for burglarizing schools and small businesses in central Missouri in 2018.

Deputies with the Wapello County Sheriff’s Office worked with the Arkansas State Police and the Lewis County, Missouri, Sheriff’s Office to execute search warrants at Barton’s home.

Deputies found evidence that directly linked Barton to the recent burglaries and took him into custody without incident.

Barton is currently being held in the South Pulaski County Jail in Little Rock, Arkansas, on $100,000 cash-only bond.

In Lewis County, Barton was charged with burglary in the first and second degrees, two counts stealing and property damage. His bond is set at $100,000 cash only.

Barton has waived extradition and will be transported to the Lewis County Jail in the future.

Deputies said to date, Barton is suspected of burglarizing 14 school districts in Missouri and two in Iowa.

They said multiple small business burglaries are being reviewed in connection to this case.

Over the weekend, the North Shelby School District was also burglarized.

WGEM News is working to verify that this burglary is connected to this case.

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