Man charged with Durham, Chapel Hill school burglaries

A Chapel Hill police officer tried to pull over a speeding vehicle on N.C. Highway 54 near U.S. Highway 15/501, but the driver refused to stop, police said. After a brief pursuit, the driver jumped from the vehicle and ran into some woods, where police were able to apprehend him with the aid of K-9 trackers.

Investigators said they determined that Ricardo Anthony Dixon, 35, of Queens Street in Durham, had been involved in a Tuesday morning break-in at Culbreth Middle School in Chapel Hill. He was charged with breaking and entering, larceny after breaking and entering, possession of burglary tools, injury to real property, possession of stolen goods, reckless driving and possession of a stolen motor vehicle.

Durham police also charged Dixon with three counts each of breaking and entering and injury to property and two counts each of larceny after breaking and entering and conspiracy in connection with Nov. 1 break-ins at Hope Valley Elementary School and Rogers-Herr Middle School and a Nov. 2 break-in at Hillside High School.

Police said $175 was stolen from the first two schools after someone rifled through the petty cash drawers in the school cafeterias.

Pearsontown Elementary School also was burglarized early on Nov. 2. Although police and Durham Public Schools officials have said they believe the same man was responsible for all four school break-ins, Dixon hasn't been charged with that burglary.