Story Published:
Jul 24, 2008 at 5:55 PM CST
Story Updated:
Jul 24, 2008 at 3:01 PM CST
SPRINGFIELD -- For the second time this summer, Cherokee Middle School just south of the city is a crime scene. This time it's trespassing, and school security wishes the youthful offenders would find a different summer activity.
"Cherokee's had an ongoing construction project for quite awhile, and we've had a couple of different instances of property damaged and actually a burglary from inside the school,” said Tom Tucker, director of Safety and Security for the Springfield School District.
The first offense was on May 31, when three men caught on surveillance vandalized classrooms and stole three computers. The second was Wednesday night.
Around 7:30, construction workers were still on site when they saw a group walking near their equipment and on the school roof. They rounded them up and called Greene County sheriff's deputies and school security officers.
"They gave a couple different stories on why they were in the area and the stories didn't pan out,” said Tucker.
As a result, two 17-year-old men were ticketed for first-degree trespassing and four juveniles, ages 14 to 16, were sent home with their parents.
Even after both cases, Tucker insists this is typical for summer, although he recommends kids find other seasonal thrills.
"Kids have better things to do. Sometimes they want to see how school's progressing, but there's ways to do it, not to go inside the building, and not to go in a construction area,” he said.