Students Accused of Vandalism

BY SUSAN DICKERSON
SALISBURY POST

Three East Rowan High School students likely won't graduate with their class after being charged with vandalism of the school.

The Rowan County Sheriff's Department has charged Zachary Kyle Thompson, 18, of 195 T. Brown Road, Salisbury; Robert Nathaniel Wilkey, 18, of 1060 Barringer St., Salisbury; and Steven Lee Dellinger, 17, of 1720 St. Lukes Church Road, with misdemeanor damage to real property.

School officials say the teen-agers caused $6,000 in damage.

On Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day when school was out, a teacher heard footsteps on the roof of the building. Later, he heard glass breaking and called 911.

At the school, police found beer cans, 24 large windows broken and four roof ventilator fans on the ground.

Officials also found vandalized buses, though the teens have denied responsibility for that vandalism. At this time, Sheriff's Department officers have no leads as to who committed that vandalism, but it's still under investigation.

Police received anonymous tips after the incident on the East Rowan Crime Stoppers Line (279-CRIME).

Police had five student names with those anonymous tips. After a Sheriff's Department investigation off campus, the three students turned themselves in Tuesday morning.

As a result, Principal Dr. Harry Starr is suspending the three students for 10 days and is recommending that they not return to East Rowan High for the remainder of the year.

''But that's the superintendent's decision to make,'' Starr said. ''All I can do is make the recommendation.''

Superintendent Dr. Joe McCann said this morning that two of the students likely will finish out their school year at the Dunbar Center's night program. The other student is receiving special services and will have to go through a committee to find placement.

Wherever the students end up, they will not be expelled, McCann said.

''We're very concerned about vandalism, and we will pursue those instances as vigorously as we can,'' McCann said. ''We want the community to know that we think highly of our school facilities, and we want to preserve those as long as we can for the use of our students and our community.''

Officials spoke with five students originally. ''Initially, they had given statements that they had all denied involvement,'' said Sheriff's Lt. John Sifford. ''But they did give conflicting statements.''

After those statements, the students contacted their lawyers for legal advice, Sifford said.

Tuesday morning, Sheriff's officials asked Thompson, Wilkey and Dellinger to come in. ''All three came in with their parents, and they did make statements, confessions, so to speak. And the magistrate released them into the custody of their parents.''

As for whether the students had been drinking, Sifford said all three denied it.

''It is a possibility that they were drinking,'' Sifford said. ''In their statements, they all denied that, but that is a possibility.''

Even with the damage amounting to $5,903.15, law enforcement officials could only charge them with misdemeanor damage to real property.

If convicted, the students face a maximum of 120 days in jail depending upon their prior record. Fines and restitution are left to the discretion of the judge. All three have their first court appearance March 4.

Amid rumors that officials knew the culprits and weren't charging them, Starr and Sifford said the only evidence they had against the students were anonymous tips.

''At that time, we had five people suspected of being involved, and we didn't have a confession,'' Starr said, ''and we had to make sure we had enough evidence, otherwise we might have ended up with nothing. We can't go to court with anonymous tips.''

Sifford also said he did not expect further charges against the other two students originally suspected. ''Based on the statements from all three,'' Sifford said, ''these are the three that are the guilty parties.''

With only hearsay, investigators tried matching footprints ''and really worked very hard on this case,'' Starr said. ''Only when you get enough hard evidence can you do something.''

And Starr wants to make sure the punishment fits the crime, but that ''justice has mercy.'' All three students are seniors and have been at East all four years of high school. His concern is that they still graduate.

''I'm sorry for these young men,'' Starr said. ''I can't understand why these things take place, and I can't understand why society is filled with violence. But we're sorry for the maintenance men to do the work, and the taxpayers' money being wasted.

''But we also appreciate the three young men confessing,'' Starr continued, ''and their willingness to say that they did it.''