Vandals disrupt Southern classes for a day

SALINEVILLE - The Southern Local School District was forced to cancel classes Tuesday after vandals disabled 10 buses and a transformer with shotguns and knives at the school and bus garage on state Route 39 sometime overnight.

The damage has been repaired, and school will be back in session today as normal.

The district has a fleet of around 15 buses with 11 of them currently in use daily. Two new buses were just purchased in 2008 at a cost of around $75,000 each.

Superintendent Jim Herring said that 14 tires needed to be replaced along with a replacement glass on one of the doors and touch-up paint from the shotgun blasts.

According to the sheriff report, tires were found flattened on six buses by what appeared to be a knife, and someone tried to deflate the tires on another four buses.

"I've been here eight and a half years and I haven't seen anything like this," Herring said. "It's a shame. And there's nothing beneficial to come out of it (for the vandals). Nothing to gain. (We still) have school."

Herring said those responsible used shotguns on the buses which shot off some paint. They also attempted to shoot out the tires but were unsuccessful.

"They (then) punctured the tires with a sharp object," Herring said about the vandalism after those responsible tried to shoot out the tires.

Herring said there was no evidence that the vandals gained access inside the fleet as there was no damage to the seats.

According to Herring, sheriff's deputies found three spent shotgun cases inside the garage.

Herring said it was a shame more taxpayer money had to be spent to repair and replace the damages.

"With the hard economy we're in now, it's a shame we have to use insurance money" to repair damages, Herring said.

Herring said the transformer, which sits behind the school building, was leaking oil which caused the electric in the school to be temporarily turned off while a new transformer was brought in.

The transformer appeared to have been shot, according to the sheriff's report.

"The Highlandtown Fire Department came out and cleaned up all the oil by 9 a.m.," Herring said. "They were great."

As far as a monetary value, Herring said "it's hard to say altogether."

In the future, Herring said he hopes the district can afford constructing a building to house the entire fleet of buses.

"It would be nice to afford a large bus garage," Herring said. "It might be difficult with the number of buses we have."

The sheriff's office will continue the investigation.

ecolella@mojonews.com