Vandals damaged school cafeterias at two Springfield schools over the weekend, but things are back to normal in at least one of the schools.
"Everything here has been put back in order," said principal Judith Thompson of Garfield Elementary, one of the two schools hit. "We’re ready to go, and safe and secure."
Thompson said she was preparing a letter to send home to parents about the incident, which happened Saturday.
According to a Fairfax County Police release, break-ins were reported at both Garfield Elementary and Robert E. Lee High School in the early morning hours.
Around 2:40 a.m., police were dispatched to Garfield Elementary, where along with school security, they discovered a cafeteria window broken, damage to the cafeteria kitchen office, and a smashed computer.
Fifteen minutes later, officers responded to a security alarm at Lee High, where they discovered the kitchen was ransacked, and food had been eaten. According to police spokeswoman Mary Mulrenan, the vandals gained access to the cafeteria through an exterior door. Police reports said a school security officer stopped three youths who fled the building, but one of them assaulted the officer and got away. He left behind enough information, however, to lead police to his identity, and according to Mulrenan, police are in the process of obtaining a warrant for this suspect, who is a juvenile. The investigation is still ongoing, although police believe the incidents are linked, both because of the proximity of the schools and because of other evidence they discovered.