Theft Prompts Reward

Nearly $37,000 worth of computer equipment was stolen from a GTE Corp. office, prompting the phone company to post a $5,000 reward Tuesday for information leading to a conviction in the theft.

Officials said that 18 new Hewlett-Packard Pentium computers and nine monitors were taken from the Gothard Street office before dawn on Feb. 17. The office, known as an exchange site, handles the phone traffic for parts of Huntington Beach.

The computer equipment, still boxed, was scheduled to be sent to GTE sales offices in the area, officials said.

Employees say they saw a white van parked near the entrance of the Huntington Beach site, but could not see the driver or any passengers, said company spokesman Christian De Loof.

People with information can call GTE security at (562) 435-9380.