Deal in alleged laptop theft?

Prosecutors have offered a Marysville teacher, arrested in May after detectives said he had a laptop computer stolen from the Yuba City Unified School District, a guilty plea to misdemeanor receiving stolen property.

The attorney for Lamont Joseph Norene is reviewing the impact of such a plea in the case, scheduled for a prehearing conference Wednesday in Yuba County Superior Court.

Attorney Timothy Evans could not be reached for comment Monday on the case and proposed plea.

Norene, arrested at the Alternative Education Placement Center at 1919 B St. in Marysville where he works as a teacher for the Marysville Joint Unified School District, has been free on $11,000 bond, according to court records.

Norene had been on leave after his arrest but he has since returned to teaching, said Gay Todd, superintendent of the Marysville school district.

The Yuba County District Attorney's Office had filed a felony charge against Norene in May, according to Marysville police.

Illegally installed Microsoft software was found on the laptop's hard drive, according to court records.

Norene admitted he knew the laptop was stolen and that he'd avoided $750 in fees by installing the software he found on the Internet using unauthorized key codes, according to court records.

A joint investigation by police departments in Marysville and Yuba City led to Norene's arrest at the school. Detectives for the Yuba City Police Department had tracked the laptop to the independent study school, officials had said.

The computer had been stolen from Bridge Street Elementary School in Yuba City, according to officials.

Contact Appeal reporter Ryan McCarthy at 749-4707 or rmccarthy@appeal-democrat.com