PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. – On Sunday, three teens burglarized the now-closed Jenkins Middle School campus in Palatka causing an estimated $100,000 in damage to the facility, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.
The release said the Palatka Fire Department responded to a call of smoke near the middle school campus around 4 p.m. on Sunday. When they arrived, they saw three teenagers running from the area.
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Deputies and Palatka Police officers arrived and found extensive damage to most of the buildings, including the city-owned gym.
Numerous windows were broken, toilets damaged, sinks overflowing, security cameras broken and damaged, as well as 17 fire extinguishers discharged, the release said.
And they would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for those meddling security cameras...
“Prior to being destroyed, security cameras caught the destruction on camera and due to the approximate age of those in the video, stills were taken to Palatka Junior-Senior High School where one of the youth resource deputies was able to positively identify the individuals,” the release said. “While the campus is equipped with an alarm system, the alarms did not trigger during the incident.”
The juveniles were charged with first-degree felony burglary with more than $1,000 in damages, third-degree felony criminal mischief and third-degree preventing or obstructing extinguishment of a fire by interfering with the fire extinguishers.
The three teenagers are all 14 years old.
The closure of Jenkins Middle School happened last year. The district said the closure is part of a long-term plan to revitalize the district. Click here to read more.