| Updated: 12/19/2012 10:13 am |
Published: 12/18/2012 5:48 pm
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A platform on a school playground is burned, mailboxes and fences destroyed, all by vandals who deputies say were looking to have a little fun.
It happened in the northern part of Cherokee County in Lowrey and Moody.
After weeks of finding damage, school officials are happy the culprits are behind bars.
For nearly two months, Lowrey Public Schools administrators have been asking, “when will the damage stop?”
“There’s at least two other places you could see they tried to set on fire," said Lowrey Superintendent Bryan Hix.
The wood has now been replaced on the playground but for weeks it has been upsetting for Hix. The playground was set on fire numerous times with an accelerant. It raised fears that the building could be next.
"We thought it was just kids," Hix said.
The two arrested were Forrest Barnett and Chase Shankle. They were former students.
"It was real frustrating," Hix told FOX23.
The two are accused of using a bat to destroy all of the mailboxes and fences, damages are estimated at $10,000.
"The monetary value of these vandalisms were growing," said Cherokee County Undersheriff Jason Chennault.
Deputies caught up with the two last Thursday after receiving a call about a suspicious car in the area.
"They had excuses for why they were doing it was more of a retribution for things that had happened to them in the past," Chennault told FOX23.
Regardless of the excuse Chennault says it wasn't right.
"This was unnecessary, it was very juvenile,” he said. “To the people that have that free time on their hands to go out and do things like this, it’s not worth it."
Investigators tell us because of the extent of the damage the two suspects may be facing felony charges and have to pay for the damage they allegedly caused.
