Vandals taint in-county rivalry
Published 12:00 am Thursday, August 24, 2000
News Editor
Vandals armed with spray paint cans paid a visit to Pike County High School Wednesday night.
Mark Bazzell, assistant superintendent for the Pike County School System, said there was spray paint on the bulldog in front of the building, the gymnasium, the snack building, a trailer, the field house and even on the sign coming into the city.
Some of the graffiti included "CHHS rules," and profane and derogatory comments about the Pike County High school mascot, the bulldog.
"We are not blaming anyone," Bazzell said, citing this as an isolated incident. "We are not blaming the students of the Troy City School System, and we don’t want the shenanigans of a few to reflect on the whole system."
The incident is under investigation by the Brundidge Police Department with cooperation from the Troy Police Department.
Surveillance cameras at PCHS have been helpful with the investigation of the vandalism.
"Surveillance cameras picked up some useful information including some vehicles, Bazzell said.
Brundidge Police Chief Moses Davenport said the surveillance camera did "give them useful information and they are following up on leads from the tapes."
"We are investigating, but we are not putting the blame on the kids at Charles Henderson High school," Davenport said. "At this time we have no suspects.
"With a game like the one coming up between Charles Henderson and Pike County people sometimes do things that the kids would never even think of."
Pike County High School and Charles Henderson High School face each other in a pre-season game tonight.
Davenport said it could have even been local people because the people "seemed to know the school well."
Regardless of who vandalized the school, Bazzell said the perpetrators will be prosecuted.
In Troy, the Troy Police Department is helping with the investigation in anyway possible.
"We have been made aware of the situation and we are assisting in seeking the perpetrators," said Sgt. Benny Scarbrough, public information officer for the Troy Police Department.
Scarbrough said the patrol division has been made aware of the situation and will be looking out for suspicious activities on the CHHS campus.
"If it’s done here, we will prosecute," Scarbrough said.