Vandals cause thousands of damages at Central School
Published on November 15th, 2006
STONEHAM, MA - The Stoneham School system is offering a $500 reward for any information that leads to an arrest or full restitution for 17 windows broken over the weekend at the Central School. According to police reports, the windows were in the rear of the school that faces the woods and footpath leading up to the Pomeworth fields, and damages could amount to as much as $10,000.
"This is just a senseless act and we're hoping the reward might lead to something," said Stoneham Superintendent Dr. Joseph Connelly. "You have to wonder what these people were thinking."
Connelly estimates that the vandalism took place sometime between 6 p.m. Sunday night and the start of school Monday morning - but the combination of turbulent weather and the remote nature of that area of the school made it a difficult evening to patrol the rear of the school.
The double-paned windows, many of them smashed out with the large boulders inside the school after they were thrown through the window, will take some time to get replaced and school custodians boarded up many of the completely broken windows Monday morning.
"Many of the broken windows were at the ground level, which is the kindergarten and preschool wing of the school and we'll have to get temporary replacement windows until we can order the double-pane glass," said Connelly. "This is going to end up being a pretty costly act of vandalism. We're hoping to catch whoever did this and prosecute them to the full extent of the law. We're at a point now where we have a zero tolerance policy for senseless, destructive acts like this."
Connelly had asked Stoneham Police to step up there patrols during this school year after many residents complained that youths were defacing and vandalizing the new school grounds in Stoneham - a request that Stoneham Police have followed through with this year.
"We're getting great cooperation from the Stoneham Police on this, and we ask that you call them with any information about any involvement in this incident," said Connelly.
Anyone with any information about the Central School vandalism is being asked to call 781-438-1215 (Ext. 3131), with a $500 reward offered for info leading to the arrest and conviction of the vandals or full restitution for the cost of the windows.
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