The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 17-year-old male juvenile from Bristol and charged him with aggravated criminal mischief in connection to vandalism of the athletic field behind the Bristol Consolidated School earlier this week.
LCSO Lt. Rand Maker confirmed the arrest June 14, reporting the juvenile has been turned over the the custody of his parents.
Police began investigating the case after school officials reported finding significant damage to their athletic field, located behind the school facility on Route 130. The damage was done sometime during the overnight hours June 11-12. A custodian noticed the damage around 6 a.m. June 12.
That same day Maker said investigators were confident a full size, probably four wheel drive vehicle was used to damage a large portion of the baseball field outfield area during the overnight hours.
BCS Athletic Director Chris Perry said the damage to the field was extensive. “It’s basically the entire grassed area of our (baseball) outfield, which basically encompasses our soccer field,” Perry said.
The school will begin the process of obtaining cost estimates for repairs in the next few days, Perry said.
The school recently completed its baseball seasons, so the school team is unaffected. However, some local Babe Ruth teams had planned to use the field for at least part of their current season and now they will have to scramble to find another place to play, Perry said.
The Bristol Boosters were actively undertaking a capital campaign to raise money to improve the school’s soccer field, Perry said, adding that task is now that much harder.
The suspect is scheduled to appear in court in Wiscasset July 23, Maker said.
