Sometime between closing Tuesday night and re-opening Thursday morning, Alexandria High School was hit by what Calhoun County Sheriff Larry Amerson called “senseless vandalism.”
“These people broke trophies, broke windows, broke skylights,” Amerson said Thursday. It was unclear if any items were stolen from the school.
Amerson said he didn’t know the total amount of property damaged, but computers, cameras, fire extinguishers, toilets and a trophy case were among the items destroyed by the vandals.
Video footage obtained from surveillance cameras at the school shows the suspects to be young males possibly in their late teens, Amerson said. They wore hooded sweatshirts during the break-in.
Alexandria High School principal Mack Holley said the extent of the damage is still unknown, as not all faculty and staff have been able to assess damage to different offices and classrooms. Holley said taking into consideration the damage and the labor to fix it, it’ll end up costing the school thousands of dollars.
“But it probably could have been a lot worse,” Holley said. “None of the new equipment the school installed this summer has been damaged.”
Break-ins at school facilities aren’t common, even in summer months, Amerson said. Typically, schools are well-equipped with alarms and other surveillance equipment in certain high traffic areas, but other spots may be more vulnerable he said.
Staff writer Brian Anderson: 256-235-3546. On Twitter @BAnderson_Star.
