Posted on 05/28/2006 3:50:37 PM PDT by Mikey_1962
Pranksters set fire to a high school football field Wednesday night or early Thursday, burning a phallic symbol into the grass.
"It was a 15-foot outline of male genitalia," said Miramar Police spokesman Bill Robertson.
A vandal burned the shape into one of the end zones at Everglades High School just in time for the last day of school. The fire was out by the time school employees arrived at work Thursday morning.
Police aren't laughing at the apparent joke, and are looking for the culprits.
"Even though they consider it an end-of-the-school-year prank, we're taking it very seriously," Robertson said.
It appears someone squirted accelerant onto the grass and lighted it. When the accelerant finished burning, the fire went out, left the outline and caused no other damage, Robertson said.
But enough harm was done to earn the culprit, if found, at least two felony charges of arson and felony criminal mischief, possibly punishable with at least one year in jail. Investigators estimate the damage to the grass and soil between $500 and $1,000, Robertson said.
With the exception of a group of teenagers vandalizing the same school last year and someone adorning another school's roof with tires another year, these sorts of end-of-the-year pranks have decreased after schools increased security in the wake of the Columbine shootings and Sept. 11, said Joe Melita, chief of the Broward School District's Special Investigations Unit. Crime watch programs, security cameras and general vigilance have deterred such activity.
"Pranks are no longer considered pranks," Melita said. "We take these things very seriously."
(Excerpt) Read more at sun-sentinel.com ...
That kind of prank just makes you look queer.
Hold my beer and watch this.....
No kidding
Thank goodness the 'zero-tollerance' crowd wasn't around when I was a kid, I'd have a record a mile long.
Just the Uprights in the End Zone.
It's definitely not something to tell your cellmates about if you end up in the joint over it.
damn....
it's a stupid prank, but what constitutes arson these days?
Criminal mischief I can see, but Arson?
They were around when we were kids; they were Dad's with razor strops, leather belts, and willow tree switches called "Dad's fer No-Tolerance Such Antics." Funny thing is that Zero Tolerance force really worked.
OK. I admit. I was the model.
You and me both!
They probably used charcoal starting fluid or something and I'm sure that less than 10 bucks worth of grass seed could fix that 500-1000 dollar grass and 'soil' damage.
This country has become a nanny-state for sure.
Aren't you getting a bit old for these pranks?
Pranks are no longer considered pranks because the establishment types can no longer distinguish between childish foolishness and mass murder.
A girl can dream, can't she??? :op
ping
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.