$100,000 vandalism spree at school linked to 3 teens, each age 14, Florida cops say
An exorbitant bill may soon arrive for three Florida families after a trio of juveniles are accused of going on a vandalism spree that racked up $100,000 in damages at a middle school.
It happened Sunday, Aug. 28, at Jenkins Middle School in Palatka, and the teens went so far as to spray down the school with 17 fire extinguishers, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
All three suspects are 14 years old and attend Palatka Junior-Senior High School, which is just over 2 miles south the middle school, officials said. Palatka is about 60 miles south of Jacksonville.
“At about 4 p.m. on Sunday, the Palatka Fire Department responded to a call of smoke in the area of the middle school campus,” the sheriff’s office reports. “Upon arrival they saw three teenagers running from the campus. At the same time deputies and Palatka Police officers arrived and found extensive damage. ... Numerous windows were broken, toilets damaged, sinks overflowing, security cameras broken and damaged, as well as 17 fire extinguishers discharged.”
The school’s alarm did not go off for reasons that remain unknown, the sheriff’s office said. However, the teens did not destroy the security cameras fast enough, resulting in the spree being recorded, officials said.
Still images of the suspects were examined by a school resource officer at Palatka Junior-Senior High, officials said, and an officer “was able to positively identify the individuals.”
The three were taken into custody, officials said, and face charges including “first-degree felony burglary with more than $1,000 in damages; third-degree felony criminal mischief and third-degree preventing or obstructing extinguishment of a fire by interfering with the fire extinguishers.”
Additional costs may be added to the $100,000 as the campus gym is the property of the city of Palatka, officials said.
This story was originally published August 31, 2022 at 1:15 PM with the headline "$100,000 vandalism spree at school linked to 3 teens, each age 14, Florida cops say."