Sunday, March 24, 2024
HomeNewsBond Update: Hephzibah Teens Accused of Ransacking McBean Elementary School

Bond Update: Hephzibah Teens Accused of Ransacking McBean Elementary School

-

Two of four Hephzibah teens accused of breaking into McBean Elementary School last month have bonded out of jail, according to the jail website.

Dustin Newman and Charles Weston have bonded out of jail while Noah Jernigan and Bryan McCook remain in jail, unable to make bond. All of them were 17 when arrested.

   As we reported first in The Jail Report, the teens have been arrested for allegedly breaking into McBean Elementary School last month. Authorities say they caused significant damage and stole several iPads, Verizon tablets, Chrome notebooks and more.

   Most of the group were also tied to destruction and graffiti at the former Fresh Start for Boys School on Old Waynesboro Road. All have been charged with multiple counts of burglary.

   The teens left behind a significant mess at the school on Hephzibah-McBean Road, according to police reports. A May 13 video shows four youths with hoodies and backpacks approach the school’s rear at 3 a.m. The subjects used a classroom chair and threw it multiple times against the windows, shattering three of them.

   The teens ransacked two classrooms, overturned a mini-refrigerator, shattered two shelves in the greenhouse and damaged a number of computer monitors, the report says.

  Items stolen from the school include six Chrome Notebooks, nine Star plush pens, an Amazon Echo Dot, an Apple iPad, two Verizon tablets, a small iPad and assorted snacks. The value of the stolen items is over $2,300.

   Principal Janina Dallas called BOE police to report the damage. Another video shows five suspects walking outside the school on May 14 with flashlights.

   The teens may have been connected to the burglary after targeting a closed business on Old Waynesboro Road around the same time. The property owner of the former Fresh Start for Boys School told authorities last month that he discovered damage.

    Business owner Teddy Crafton said the last time he was at the building was on May 11 when his realtor was showing the place. Last month, a friend noticed graffiti and Crafton found the inside vandalized.

   Craft said six rooms were damaged with broken TVs that were torn down from their brackets.  There were holes in walls throughout the building.

   There was also food, oils, syrups, paint and other liquids thrown all over the walls, countertops and floors.

Previous article
Next article
Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh
Greg Rickabaugh is an award-winning crime reporter in the Augusta-Aiken area with experience writing for The Augusta Chronicle, The Augusta Press and serving as publisher of The Jail Report. Rickabaugh is a 1994 graduate of the University of South Carolina and has appeared on several crime documentaries on the Investigation Discovery channel.
Share to...