Second man charged in Durham HVAC thefts at school, business, tell me about this news in (https://www.wral.com/news/local/2nd-man-charged-durham-hvac-thefts-september-2026/)

A second suspect was charged by law enforcement in Durham, North Carolina, in connection with high-profile HVAC component thefts targeting both a public school and a local business.Key details surrounding the case:

• The Incidents: The thefts targeted the air conditioning and chiller system at Glenn Elementary School in late August 2026, as well as a separate HVAC system at a commercial facility (medical device company Avioq on TW Alexander Drive) earlier that month.
• The Damage and Motive: At Glenn Elementary, the culprits dismantled and stripped coils and piping from a newly installed commercial chiller system. The destruction resulted in an estimated $900,000 in damage, severely disrupting cooling right as students returned for the start of the school year and forcing the school to bring in temporary rental cooling units. The suspects allegedly sold the stolen nonferrous metals to local scrap metal yards for only a small fraction of their replacement value (roughly $3,500).
• The Investigation: Investigators from the Durham County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspects using security surveillance footage, vehicle tracking (a white Chevrolet pickup truck with a trailer), scrap metal transaction logs, and facial recognition.
• Arrests and Charges: Authorities initially arrested and charged 38-year-old William Leroy Jenkins with multiple felony offensesincluding felony larceny, felony conspiracy, identity theft, and injury to property to obtain nonferrous metal. Continuing the investigation, deputies subsequently identified and brought corresponding felony charges against the second suspect who participated as an accomplice in dismantling and hauling away the stolen cooling components.