LW North Vandals Spray Fire Extinguishers, Cause $5K In Damage

FRANKFORT, IL — At least $5,000 worth of damage was done to recently closed Lincoln-Way North High School after security cameras caught five people allegedly vandalizing the empty building last month, according to the Will County Sheriff's Office. No arrests have been made, and the incident is currently under investigation, Deputy Chief Dan Jungle told Patch on Tuesday.

The vandalism at L-W North, 19900 Harlem Ave., happened Dec. 22, Jungle said. That's when five people allegedly broke in to the school and damaged door and window frames on the north side of the building, he said.

The suspects also allegedly took down some of the school's fire extinguishers and sprayed the contents around the building, Jungle said. The destruction caused from the fire extinguishers is estimated at around $5,000, he said.

According to Jungle, five people also had broken in to the building through the school's cafeteria doors Dec. 19, but nothing was damaged at that time. The Will County Sheriff's Office was alerted about the break-ins and vandalism Dec. 28, Jungle said.

But Taryn Atwell, community relations director for Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210, said deputies were told about the Dec. 19 break-in, and officers visited the scene Dec. 22 before the second break-in had happened. Deputies were then called back again after the vandalism occurred later on Dec. 22, Atwell said.

"The Lincoln-Way North building is checked daily," Atwell said in an email Wednesday.

More Patch Coverage:

• Could Closing A School Be In Lincoln-Way's Future? District 210 Faces Tough Financial Questions
• D210 School Board Opts To Close L-W North High School
• Parents Sue To Stop L-W North From Closing

The District 210 school board voted, 5-2, to close L-W North in August of 2015 as a cost-cutting measure after the school system landed on the state's financial watch list. Despite legal challenges and a fight from parents, the school, which drew students from Frankfort, Frankfort Square, Tinley Park and Mokena, officially shuttered its doors in June of 2016.

NOTE: An earlier version of the story included the wrong date for the initial break-in. That information had been provided by the Will County Sheriff's Office.

Lincoln-Way North High School (Photo via Patch archive)