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School vandals arrested




HEBRON – Two male juveniles, ages 15 and 16, one from Hebron and the other from Buckeye Lake, have been charged with breaking and entering and vandalism following a Thanksgiving weekend break-in at the Hebron Elementary School. They were arrested Nov. 30 and taken into custody.

A rear window was broken to gain entry to the school. The vandals emptied about a dozen large dry powder fire extinguishers, leaving a white residue over most surfaces throughout the school. While the powder created a huge cleanup effort, it also left police with several excellent footprints of the vandals.

The teenagers, who told police they were “bored,” also poured several containers of paint throughout the building. Paint was poured on the floor, furniture and a copy machine. Hebron Police discovered the broken window on a routine patrol early Sunday morning.

Monday, Nov. 26 was a school holiday.

Lakewood Superintendent Jay Gault said staff is still working on a damage estimate. The district spent approximately $2,700 to clean up the mess with 16 school custodians and numerous volunteers working from about 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday so the school could reopen on time Tuesday. Gault said about 10 teachers came in on the holiday to help and did the high school girls basketball team that came in after practice.

The powder proved to be the most difficult to clean up, he said. Surfaces were first vacuumed, then wet mopped and finally wiped down. The gym was a complete mess, Gault said.

“We thank everybody who pitched in so we could open on time Tuesday,” Gault said. “We were determined to open on time but we couldn’t have done it without all the help.”



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