Three more teens have been arrested for vandalizing East Paulding High School in Dallas, bringing the total to 24 young people charged with felonies in the predawn stunt, sheriff's deputies said.
Kelsey Nicole Kirk, 18, Nicholas Lawrence Zeman, 18, and Jacob Todd Zimmerman, 17, are the latest to be arrested in the case, which remains under investigation, Cpl. Ashley Henson with the Paulding County Sheriff's Office said Wednesday afternoon.
The students also could face suspension or expulsion, according to Paulding County School District policy.
A passer-by called police early Sunday after spotting dozens of teens dressed in black and carrying black, yellow, white and green paint allegedly defacing buildings at the school. When deputies arrived shortly before 4 a.m., the youths scattered.
But significant damage had been done, police said. Buildings, roadways, signs, two county-owned vehicles and the large brick entranceway to a nearby subdivision were defaced, leaving county workers to clean up the mess.
By Tuesday afternoon, much of the damage had been erased, very different from what deputies initially found at the school, according to the incident report obtained by the AJC.
"All buildings were spray painted to include windows," a deputy wrote in the report. "Access was made to the roof where it was also painted. Chairs, tables and benches were thrown out into the parking lot and several vehicles spray painted."
The paintings mostly said "Seniors 2012″ and "YOLO" or you only live once, but some of the messages were explicit in nature, according to deputies. Some teens admitted what they had done, but others initially denied it, despite the mud and paint on their clothes, police said.
It may be next week before school officials will know how much the damage will cost to repair, Brian Otott, associate superintendent, told the AJC Tuesday.
Because government-owned buildings were targeted, all of those arrested were charged with criminal interference with government property, Henson said.
"Anytime someone damages government property it is a felony regardless of the extent of the damages," he said.
All of those arrested were granted signature bonds, meaning most were released back to their parents. Most, though not all, of those believed to have been involved in the prank were students, police said.
For those who do attend a Paulding County school, the alleged crime is considered a Level One offense, according to the school board's policy. Punishment can range from in-school suspension to referral to a disciplinary tribunal for long-term suspension or expulsion from school, the policy states.
Otott declined to say whether the arrested students have been allowed to return to class.
Among those arrested were at least three college football scholarship recipients, according to recruiting reports.
Those arrested previously were:
- William Patrick, 17
- Zachariah Jame Zazverskey, 17
- Andres Bryce Forn Suttles, 18
- Brandon Lee Owensby, 17
- Christian Armani Browder, 18
- Courtney Lynn Turner, 17
- Courtney Reede Grant, 17
- Deanna Marie Dane, 18
- Devantae Alexander Terrell, 19
- Harold Gene Nowden, 18
- Hunter Harry Ledbetter, 17
- Jamie Raquel Bowder, 18
- Jeremy Rogers, 19
- Joshua Alexendria Pete, 18
- Jovanca Briana Pazmino, 18
- Madison Nicole Wood, 18
- Michael Chance Kornegay, 18
- Olamide Ayobele Akinbohun, 18
- Walter Lewis III, 18
- Avery Tyler Brown, 17
- Reginald Liss, 18
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