Former St. Peter School IT director receives two years probation for theft of iPads

QUINCY — The former IT director of St. Peter School in Quincy was sentenced to two years probation Thursday afternoon in Adams County Circuit Court for stealing more than $50,000 worth of items from the school and church.

Kim L. Sandegren, 30, appeared with Public Defender Betsy Bier before Judge Holly Henze. He pled guilty to one count of theft of a school or place of worship in an amount of $500 to $10,000, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Sandegren originally been charged with a second count — theft from a school or place of worship in an amount between $10,000 and $100,000, a Class 1 felony punishable for up to 15 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. However, the count was dismissed after plea negotiations with State’s Attorney Todd Eyler.

In establishing a factual basis before Sandegren’s plea, Eyler said St. Peter Church officials filed a report in May 2023 in reference to approximately 105 missing iPads. 

Every three years or so, St. Peter’s buys a new round of iPads for their students, sells the old ones and recoups the money. However, an investigation by the Quincy Police Department revealed that Sandegren had used a company he owned by the name of Digital Revolution Technology to sell the iPads to various third-party companies. The money then went into various bank accounts either owned by or under the name of Kim Sandegren.

The investigation also found that Sandegren made an unauthorized purchase of three items totaling more than $500 in June 2022 with the St. Peter Church Amazon account. He kept those items in his personal possession.

Eyler said law enforcement officers continue to find lost iPads. A June 2024 search of a storage locker under the name of Sandegren recovered iPads with St. Peter School identification stickers. 

Henze asked Eyler for the restitution figure. “That figure is $53,202.69,” Eyler replied.

As part of his plea deal, Sandegren was ordered to pay back the full amount, which will be appropriately divided between St. Peter School and its insurance agency.