A homeless man, possibly looking for a bite to eat, turned himself in over the weekend shortly after breaking into and vandalizing the Durango School District 9-R administration building, police said Tuesday.
Christopher Partin, 38, of Indiana, was being held Tuesday on $10,000 bail at the La Plata County jail on suspicion of felony burglary and criminal mischief, said Lt. Ray Shupe, with the Durango Police Department.
The incident occurred about 5 a.m. Saturday at the school district’s administration building at 201 E. 12th St.
Partin found an unlocked door, let himself in, damaged some computer monitors, exited the building and broke several windows, Shupe said. He then walked two blocks to the police station, where he turned himself in within an hour, Shupe said.
Officers interviewed the man and went to the administration building to verify his story.
“He literally showed up at the police department lobby at 6 a.m. Oct. 12 and admitted to everything,” Shupe said. “It was kind of an odd call.”
The man apparently wanted to be arrested so he could get help.
He told police, “Sometimes you have to commit a problem to solve a problem.”
School district spokeswoman Julie Popp said it is her understanding the man was looking for food, and when he didn’t find any, he vandalized the building. It is sad that people have to resort to that kind of behavior to get a full belly, she said.
Partin caused $300 to $400 in damage to the monitors and about $600 worth of damage to the windows, Shupe said.
He was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time, Shupe said.
shane@durangoherald.com
