Vandals damage old school

Vandals broke into the old Burton Elementary School in Rexburg Sunday night, but it’s far from the first time it’s happened.

Madison County Sheriff Sgt. Mike Courtney said people have been breaking in and damaging the school the past several years. He said people generally break a window, and continue to damage the inside.

“It’s an old abandoned building and for some reason people find it fun to break into the building and do whatever they want,” said Courtney.

The Madison County School District uses the building to store old equipment. A maintenance worker noticed more damage and filed a complaint with the sheriff’s office Oct. 2. Sunday night, a deputy was patrolling the area when he saw vehicles parked outside.

“When the deputies went in there were actually two groups of people in there,” said Courtney. “Deputies were able to get them out of the building and talk to them.”

The eight people responsible were described as young adults, in their early 20s. Courtney said vandalism becomes more common in Rexburg every October.

“People basically aren’t respecting other people’s property, and go either destroy decorations or go in old buildings,” said Courtney. “They feel like they can go in there and do whatever they want.”

The Madison School District declined a request for an interview, but did say they now have cameras installed inside the old school.