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October 29, 2009

Arrests made for school vandalism

<img src="/homepage/images_image_276103054" alt="&#149;">&nbsp;&nbsp;NACS defaced for fourth time in nine months

By MICHELLE BESAW

ELLENBURG — State Police based in Chazy charged two students with the recent vandalism at Northern Adirondack Central School.

Brothers Joshua Snide, 19, and Dustin Snide, 18, both of Ellenburg Depot and seniors at NACS, were charged with third-degree burglary and second-degree criminal mischief.

They were arraigned before Champlain Town Justice John LaBonte.

Joshua was committed to Clinton County Jail on $5,000 cash or $10,000 bond. He is scheduled for a felony hearing in Ellenburg Court at 10 a.m. Nov. 4.

Dustin was released on his own recognizance and will reappear in Ellenburg Court at 7 p.m. Nov. 5.

SMASHED GLASS
The two allegedly broke into the school sometime between the evening of Oct. 23 and the morning of Oct. 24, when the damage was discovered.

Officials say the two denied any involvement in previous break-ins at the school, which are still under investigation.

"This is our fourth act of vandalism on our campus in the last nine months," said NACS Superintendent Laura Marlow. "Each time, the damages are getting worse and worse."

This time, damages totaled between $12,000 and $15,000.

The brothers allegedly broke into High School classrooms, smashed glass and light fixtures and got into the food in the cafeteria. Marlow said the school had to dispose of food due to glass pieces in the storage area.

The teens also gained access to the nurse's office through the ceiling, State Police said. Investigator George Dyer said the two were looking for prescription drugs. He said the nurse told a uniformed trooper that some generic Ritalin and used syringes were missing but nothing was recovered, and the brothers didn't admit to taking them.

They then proceeded to the Elementary School, where they allegedly smashed in doors and windows.

Marlow said someone threw a tricyle through the window of one of the classrooms and caused so much damage to the JCEO Head Start building on campus that the program could not run.

She said more than 900 pounds of broken glass was taken off the campus before school started Monday.

'ACT OF TERRORISM'
"I have to compliment our maintenance staff and cafeteria staff for coming in to get our campus able to be back on track for classes on Monday," Marlow said.

"There were shards of glass everywhere. We see this as an act of terrorism on our own campus. We're not going to sit silent."

Over an announcement, Marlow and other teachers offered a $750 reward for information on the vandals.

"This isn't the Bobcat pride that we're used to," she said. "We needed to pull together. We needed information. We didn't need names, but we needed information. We're not going to take it anymore."

She said that after the announcement, students started coming forward with information about the destruction to their school.

Marlow said she will make sure that the vandals guilty of the destruction will no longer be allowed on NACS grounds.

"Until they get the help they need, they're not the type of individuals we want on our campus.

"They're not going to steal the education of our students here."

E-mail Michelle Besaw at: mbesaw@pressrepublican.com

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