Michael Taylor, a former Menlo School assistant baseball coach, has pleaded not guilty to stealing computers from the Atherton school that had employed him.

Mr. Taylor, 28, entered his plea in San Mateo County Superior Court on Jan. 24. The case was continued to March 7 for a pretrial conference, and a March 26 date for a jury trial was set, according to the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office.

Mr. Taylor is suspected of stealing a number of electronic devices from Menlo School and its students. In November, he went to the Atherton Police Department for an interview, and "confessed to Detective (Jason) Yoakum that he stole two Apple iPads from Menlo School students, while on campus," according to the police department's monthly report to the Atherton City Council.

Suspicion had been cast on Mr. Taylor after a security guard at the school said he had observed the baseball coach grabbing something out of a backpack and walking into a school building. "Shortly thereafter, the security guard recovered a student's backpack from the building (Mr. Taylor) had just entered," according to a report by the District Attorney's Office.

"The student who owned the backpack reported that his iPad was missing," the report said. After Mr. Taylor confessed to police that he stole two iPads from the school, officers searched his home and found two laptop computers registered to Menlo School, according to the report.

Two other men accused of the theft of computers and backpacks at Menlo School were also in court on Jan. 24. Ironically, Mr. Taylor reportedly had been instrumental in apprehending at least one of the men on the Menlo College campus, which is adjacent to the Menlo School campus. Both suspects were Menlo College students.

Ryan Alexander Goodman, 20, pleaded guilty to grand theft, and was sentenced to two years of court probation, conditioned on completion of a substance abuse treatment program, according to the D.A.'s office. He also must serve one day in the country jail, submit to warrantless searches, and stay away from Menlo College.

The case against Raphael Daniel Bettan, 18, was continued to March 8 for a pretrial conference, with an April 2 date set for a jury trial, according to the D.A.'s report.

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