Okmulgee Teachers Frustrated After Thieves Break Into Cars During Back To School Event

Some Okmulgee teachers are frustrated after thieves broke into their cars and stole their purses. The teachers say they were planning to use their money to buy things for their classrooms before it was stolen

The teachers were attending a back to school gathering at the Okmulgee YMCA when they got news of the break-ins.

“I had just pulled out some cash to go do some back-to-school shopping and back-to-school fun stuff,” said Michelle Clevenger, a mental health therapist for Okmulgee Public Schools. “I would guarantee that’s all gone.”

Clevenger was meeting the new teachers she will be working with this fall at the event. She says her purse was tucked under a seat, out of sight, but the thieves found it anyway.

“It’s beyond frustrating,” she said.

The thieves also hit kindergarten teacher April Sullivan’s car. She also left her purse inside, but it wasn’t the only thing taken.

“I had a package of wet wipes that they took for some reason,” said Sullivan.

Sullivan’s family was able to find her stolen belongings using an AirTag. Her husband, Lester, tracked the purse to a dumpster behind a Tulsa business.

“We pinged it when we got there,” he said. “Sure enough, it was in there. Plus, everybody else’s stuff. That was a huge blessing to find most of everything.”

While Sullivan was reunited with some of her belongings, Clevenger was still waiting. Although she thinks some of her stuff is recovered, she has to go through Tulsa Police to get it back.

Clevenger also has to worry about paying for a new window. This is not the type of lesson she hopes to be a part of again.

“Something I don’t normally do,” she said. “Since we were going to a pool, I didn’t think about bringing my purse to a pool.”

Okmulgee Police have released pictures of a white SUV believed to be associated with the break-ins. Anyone with information is asked to call (918) 756-3511.

Images Provided By: Okmulgee Police