Teens arrested after school break-in, ransack

NEW PORT RICHEY (FOX 13) - Five current and former students of Seven Springs Middle School are under arrest after deputies say they broke in and ransacked the school building.

District officials say they caused $20,000 worth of damage to classrooms, storage areas, and the cafeteria.

Detectives say a door was left unlocked and once the kids got in, they found a master key.

"Schools are sanctuaries, they shouldn't be a place you go and tear up," said Linda Cobbe, spokeswoman for the Pasco County School District. "Especially if you are a student."

Pictures from classrooms show damaged printers, spilled ink, and a smashed TV screen. In a storage closet, books and shelves were ruined.

The juveniles are between 12- and 14-years-old. Three of them were male, two of them were female.

"Stealing [is] really bad," said Seven Springs 8th-grader, Tyler Wiseman. "You shouldn't do it at all."

In the cafeteria, surveillance pictures show the teens with fire extinguishers and then spraying them.

Photos taken later, by sheriff's deputies show barely a square inch was left uncovered.
"I just think it's really sad," said Wiseman's mother, Jennifer. "It's a great school and these kids are tearing it apart and they think it's funny."

The kids were caught when a burglar alarm brought deputies to the scene. Detectives believe they were inside at least twice between May 27 and 29.

"It is likely they will not be in a regular school next year because of what they have done to the school," said Cobbe. "They deserve to be punished, and they will face consequences."

The district says taxpayers will also face consequences, given the amount of equipment that must be replaced.

"A lot of parents don't know what their kids are doing, so hopefully their parents find out and get them some help," said Jennifer Wiseman.

The district says they will address how a door was left unlocked. A sixth arrest is expected to be made in the coming days.