SEQUIM — Sequim Police Department detectives plan to forward charges related to student vandalism at Sequim High School to the Clallam County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in the coming weeks.
As many as 50 students may have been involved in acts of vandalism on June 1, Sequim School District officials reported. They gained unauthorized access to the school to smash eggs inside and outside classrooms and commit other acts that included moving teachers’ items.
One person wrote an offensive message on a whiteboard, school district officials said.
Det. Sgt. Darrell Nelson said School Resource Officer Daniel Martinez is leading the investigation and they said they have identified 42 suspects.
“There’s a little bit more work to be done,” Nelson said.
He said the suspects are all students and that no school staff members were involved.
Nelson said he couldn’t comment on aspects of the case as it remains an open investigation, but he anticipated finishing it in about two weeks before sending it to the prosecuting attorney’s office for consideration.
He said the prosecuting attorney’s office will determine who will be charged and what the charges will be.
Megan Lyke, the school district’s public information officer, previously said campus cameras showed students on school property about 10:30 p.m. on June 1, but she did not know at that time how long they were there or where they went.
School district officials previously said it was unknown whether the incident was a “senior prank” prior to graduation later that week, or if the students were from different grade levels.
While no permanent damage was done, Lyke said the mess was time consuming to clean and left an odor in carpets in various parts of a building.
Custodial staff, teachers, administrators and students worked together to clean the classrooms prior to classes starting at 9:15 a.m. on June 2.
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Matthew Nash is a reporter with the Olympic Peninsula News Group, which is composed of Sound Publishing newspapers Peninsula Daily News, Sequim Gazette and Forks Forum. He can be reached by email at matthew.nash@sequimgazette.com.
