Admitting they were bored and looking for something to do, two juveniles said they and others are responsible for the Friday evening fire that heavily damaged the office area of Parkview Elementary School in Meridian, Meridian police said Monday.
"These two also implicated themselves in connection with burglaries and vandalisms at both Parkview and Magnolia Middle School," said Meridian Police Department Capt. James Sharpe who is the commander of the MPD's Investigative Division. "We are looking for several more juveniles ranging in ages nine to 14 years old."
The two youths charged with felony vandalism, burglary and arson are now being held in the Lauderdale County Juvenile Center. One of the suspects is 11 years old while the other is 13. They were taken into custody Saturday evening, roughly 24 hours after firefighters responded to the blaze.
Sharpe said it would be up to a judge to determine if the youths will be charged as adults.
At about 6:20 p.m. Friday, firefighters from the Meridian Fire Department were called to the elementary school located at 1225 26th Avenue. Upon arrival they found the principal's office and the outer office area of the school engulfed in flames and smoke. The flames were quickly knocked down and an arson investigation was launched.
"The fire investigation, although it hasn't determined what was used to start the fire, seems to indicate the fire started in the principal's office and then spread into the outer offices," Sharpe said. "We estimate there was about $50,000 worth of damage done."
"We found graffiti during our investigation but it was mostly insults targeting the principal and some of the teachers," said Sharpe, adding that it doesn’t appear the arson was gang related.
The suspects had either attended Parkview Elementary School or were currently enrolled there.
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Juvenile charged in school blaze
More arrests on the horizon
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City cuts payment to Watkins
The Meridian City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to cut their monthly payment to David Watkins, project developer of Meridian's new police station, by $9,999 until work resumes on the project.
The order, made during the Meridian City Council meeting Tuesday morning, included a mutual agreement between the councilmen and Watkins to reduce the project developer's monthly consultant fee of $10,000 to $1, effective Tuesday. -
Crews work on gasoline pipeline
If you hear a loud, booming sound early today, between 4 a.m.-10 a.m., there is no cause for alarm.
Workers with Plantation Pipeline will be performing maintenance work on their 30-foot gasoline pipeline in the Meridian area to accommodate the widening of Highway 493. The location of the work activity will be at Highway 493 North and Oak Hill Baptist Church, just inside the city limits. -
Team Spirit
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High Honor
The flowers and balloons Crestwood Elementary School Principal Kimberly Kendrick received at school Monday were not an early Valentines' Day gift.
Kendrick has been named Meridian Public School District's 2012 Administrator of the Year – an announcement that both surprised and wowed the 17-year veteran educator when made by MPSD Superintendent Dr. Alvin Taylor. -
Master Dance Class
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Digital system promises better communication
Hopefully in the near future you won't hear someone in the emergency services ask over the radio, "Can you hear me now?"
A digital communications system, one which is being pushed by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), is a few months away and, in some cases, is already in the testing phase in Lauderdale County. -
Inmate escapes custody
Mississippi Department of Corrections officials said Monday afternoon an inmate escaped from custody Friday and is still being sought.
Officials said Johnny Hall Jr. escaped from two Wilkinson County Correctional Facility officers’ custody while being escorted from his father’s wake at the Picayune Funeral Home in Picayune. Preliminary information indicates Hall left the officers and jumped into a waiting black vehicle with a white female driver. -
Citizen’s Police Academy begins today
The work law enforcement conducts on a daily basis is often misunderstood by the general public.
Officials at the Meridian Police Department developed a program to inform and educate citizens on what police do in serving and protecting the population. The program, The Citizen's Police Academy, has been gaining speed for a couple of years since it was first offered. Officials said it shows residents are interested in police work and how it is conducted. - Woman: decongestant brought meth charge in Alabama
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Star Of The Week: Dominique Goodwin-Jenkins
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