Clean-up continues at senior center after being struck by vandals
By Kaitlyn Naples
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WOLCOTT, Connecticut (WFSB) — Officials in Wolcott are hoping the senior center can go back to normal by the end of the week after it was vandalized.
Early Monday morning, Wolcott police found out that two teens broke into the Wolcott Senior Center on Nichols Road overnight.
Police found smashed computers, broken doors, stolen cash and more.
Wolcott Police Chief Edward Stephens said the suspects got in by smashing a window around 3 a.m.
“They made a pizza. They ransacked the kitchen. They ransacked the storage room where the food is. They went into the office, into the library and they just destroyed it,” he said.
A day later, on Tuesday, Stephens said clean-up of the mess was wrapping up, but crews still needed to clean out air ducts since fire extinguisher spray went into the intakes.
Items like coffee makers, a microwave, and other small appliances also have to be replaced, as well as food.
After the vandalism at the senior center, police said the teens went to a nearby neighborhood and stole a car from a driveway. They then crashed into two nearby cars before pulling into a parking lot.
When officers pulled into that lot, police said the suspects tried to drive away.
“They see the car cruiser coming into the lot, they hit the gas, they go flying out [and] they smash right into a telephone pole,” Stephens said.
The car was totaled, but the teens were not hurt.
Police said they face several charges, including burglary, arson, operating without a license, and evading police.
An order of detention to have the juveniles transported to a juvenile facility was initially denied by a judge, so the suspects were released until their next court appearance.
That changed Monday afternoon, and the teens were ultimately ordered to juvenile detention.
This has prompted calls for change on the state level to change juvenile laws.
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