Grand Jury indictment handed down after FBI investigation cites Arkansas man in series of burglaries

 Curtis Lee Barton

For nearly two years, schools, small businesses, and nonprofits across Missouri and Iowa were the targets of a calculated burglary spree that drained tens of thousands of dollars from community programs.

At the center of the crimes, federal prosecutors say, is Curtis Lee Barton, 40, of Jacksonville, Arkansas. Barton was indicted by a federal grand jury this spring on charges of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property after investigators tied him to more than 30 break-ins between May 2023 and April 2025.

Authorities say Barton’s burglaries were marked by precision. He studied building layouts, avoided patrols, and often struck at night when schools and businesses were empty. The targets were chosen carefully--places with little security but cash on hand for vulnerable populations.

In Brookfield, Missouri, $13,000 was stolen from a school fund for struggling students. Lewistown schools lost nearly $6,000, while Shelbyville reported $4,000 missing. In Adair County, money set aside for special-needs programming was taken. On February 2, 2025, Cardinal Community Schools in Eldon, Iowa, reported break-ins at three campuses, with more than $4,000 stolen and extensive property damage.

Investigators say Barton’s criminal history spans decades, with burglary and theft convictions in Missouri dating back to 2007 and earlier charges in Ohio. He also served prison time for school burglaries in Missouri in 2018, leaving him on parole at the time of the recent crimes.

The break that unraveled the case came when Iowa authorities linked the Cardinal school thefts to similar crimes across the border. A joint investigation by the FBI, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office in Missouri, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and Arkansas State Police led to a search of Barton’s Arkansas properties in April.

Evidence recovered connected him to burglaries in at least 14 Missouri school districts and two in Iowa.

Barton was arrested April 29 and is being held on a $100,000 bond while awaiting extradition to Missouri. Prosecutors say the total losses from the spree exceed $50,000, much of it stolen from schools and nonprofits serving children and people with disabilities.

If convicted, Barton faces multiple years in federal prison.