Vandals strike A.C. Moore

Published 10:18 pm Wednesday, April 4, 2007

By By Adrienne McKenzie
As faculty and staff members of A.C. Moore Elementary School started showing up for work, anticipating an average Monday, they walked into a school that had been vandalized and realized it was not going to be the Monday they had hoped for after all.
The Atmore Police Department received a call from A.C. Moore officials Monday at 7:21 a.m., informing the department that an act of vandalism had taken place on school grounds.
According to Escambia County Schools superintendent Billy Hines, there was no real damage done to the building or classrooms at A.C. Moore.
"Mainly there were just scattered files and papers thrown around," Hines said. "It took up a lot of time to clean, several classrooms were just very scattered."
According to the Atmore Police Department, when officers and investigators showed up at the scene, along with all the strewn papers, desks in some classrooms were overturned and there was graffiti on some of the chalkboards.
Hines said that there was no broken glass or anything missing from the school and that the act was just sheer cruelty.
"There was no breaking or stealing," Hines said. "I can only describe it as outright meanness."
Hines was appreciative of the police department and their efforts shown throughout the day.
"The police helped us out," Hines said. "They came in and helped during that day. Chuck Brooks (investigator for the police department) came over to make sure everything was OK."
Although Monday morning was chaotic at A.C. Moore, the day passed and things got back to the standard Monday routine, according to Hines.
"We got back to the normal school day," Hines said. "But it was really hectic that morning."
Because the elementary school building is not enclosed and there are different wings that are outdoors, there are safety precautions being looked into by Hines to ensure the safety of the children, faculty and staff that attend or work at A.C. Moore.
"I am looking at putting some security cameras around the perimeters of the school," Hines said.
The Atmore Police Department is still investigating the break-in at the school. If you have any information regarding the case, please contact the Investigations Division of the Atmore Police Department at 368-9141.

Sign up for our daily email newsletter

Get the latest news sent to your inbox