Woman pretended to be parent, stole from elementary schools, say Denver police

(CBS) DENVER, Colo. - A 34-year-old Colorado woman was arrested on Sunday for allegedly stealing from Denver public schools for the last six months while pretending to be a parent, CBS Denver reports.

Denver police announced Wednesday that Winter Yates, who authorities say has a long prior rap sheet, stole wallets, purses, and other valuable items from empty classrooms.  Schools where confirmed thefts happened include Carson Elementary, Cole Arts and Science Academy and Bromwell Elementary.

The parent of one Bromwell student, Steve Heim, told police, "It's a lot of activity in a short amount of time. I'm glad she's off the streets."

Parents at several of the targeted schools want to know how the woman got inside so easily without being noticed.

Bromwell's doors lead to an open area where parents have to sign in. Teachers say that at 3:15 p.m. when the students are dismissed, Yates apparently slipped in during the busy activity, CBS Denver reported.

"It's very scary to think that that could happen that easily here, with all the precautions that we try to make on a daily basis to keep our kids safe," Steve Heim said.

So far, authorities are not releasing many details except that Yates has an extensive criminal record that includes previous arrests on charges of theft, drug and resisting arrest.

"We definitely wanted to get her off the streets. Especially going into schools -- that's something we are always very cautious of," said Denver police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez.

According to police, Yates used a stolen credit card in May to buy hundreds of dollars worth of items at a Target store, CBS Denver reported.