Grace Palo
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON — (WMAL) Five teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection to vandalism of a historic schoolhouse in Ashburn, Virginia.
The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that all five of the teenagers are boys and includes three 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old from Sterling and a 16-year-old from Ashburn. Authorities will not release their name due to the fact that all involved are minors.
Officials announced the charges against the teenagers this week but had identified them earlier this month when the historic black schoolhouse was vandalized with spray paint.
According to the authorities, the building had been vandalized and painted with extreme vulgar messages and offensive symbols, including “white power” and swastikas. The sheriff’s office said in a statement that “a review of the investigation with the Office of the Loudoun Commonwealth’s Attorney determined the case did not meet the legal requirements for a hate crime.”
Several students from the Loudoun School for the Gifted had started work for a restoration of the building before the vandalism, and after the vandalism occurred, the community stepped in to help provide funds and support to continue the restoration and support the Loudoun School for the Gifted.
