The Alexander High School student arrested after allegedly breaking into his Douglas County school and setting a fire early Thursday is facing five felony charges, including arson, authorities said.
The 15-year-old student, whose name has not been released because of his age, was still on the Alexander High campus off Ga. 5 when deputies arrived about 1 a.m. Thursday.
Douglas County sheriff’s Lt. Glenn Daniel told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Thursday afternoon that the teen has been charged with burglary, possession of tools during a crime, arson, interference with government property and possession of an incendiary device.
He said the boy was taken to a youth detention center in Rome.
Daniel said the teen broke windows in the school’s media center, then tried to hack into the school’s computer system in an apparent attempt to change his grades.
When that failed, he set a small fire.
“He tore up some books, set them on top of a computer inside the media center and had a little bit of gas with him in a water bottle, sprinkled some on the carpet and lit a fire,” Daniel told Channel 2 Action News.
The school’s alarm went off, and arriving deputies found the teen running from the school.
Deputies were able to douse the flames with extinguishers before firefighters arrived, but the fire caused a significant amount of damage to the media center.
Classes at the school were held as usual Thursday.
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