3 teens, including 2 from Charlotte, charged with Fort Mill school arson, vandalism
Three male teens have been charged with felony arson after a school in Fort Mill was vandalized in November, officials said Tuesday.
Catawba Ridge High School was defaced with vulgar spray-paint graffiti, and a soccer goal and field were burned on Nov. 20 and Nov. 28, according to court documents and police reports.
A 15-year-old from Fort Mill and a 16-year-old from Charlotte face two counts of third-degree arson, two counts of malicious damage to property, and trespassing for involvement in both incidents, according to Maj. Bryan Zachary of the Fort Mill Police Department.
A 17-year-old from Charlotte faces one count of third-degree arson, malicious damage to property and trespassing from involvement in one of the incidents, Zachary said.
The names of the suspects were not released because of their ages.
The 15-year-old attended Catawba Ridge, Zachary said. The three teens are friends but the motive for spray-painting the school and burning the soccer goal is unclear, Zachary said.
“We are not sure what the reason was for the damage to the school,” Zachary said. “We do know that the youngest person charged went to Catawba Ridge, and the two others are friends of his from Charlotte.”
All three students were served arrest warrants by Fort Mill police Tuesday, then released to the custody of family members, Zachary said.
Arson is a felony
Third-degree arson is a felony under South Carolina law. A conviction for adults can carry as much as 15 years in prison.
Yet, because the suspects are charged juveniles, any sentence in South Carolina for a conviction cannot extend past age 21, according to state law.
All three juveniles will be prosecuted in South Carolina Family Court in York County, according to Zachary and documents with the 16th Circuit Solicitor’s Office.
Fort Mill school district spokesman Joe Burke declined to say what discipline, if any, has been meted out by school officials against the Catawba Ridge student.
“Due to privacy laws we cannot comment on student discipline issues,” Burke said.
Surveillance video from the school showed the crimes, according to police and school officials. The district stated it was offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the persons involved, but it remains unclear whether information from the public helped police make arrests in the case.
Catawba Ridge opened in 2019. It is one of three high schools in the Fort Mill school district.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 7:27 PM.
