Vandals strike new stadium at Mesa Verde High School

By Sara Beth Williams–
Mesa Verde High School’s new stadium was vandalized over last weekend, marking at least the fourth time the stadium has faced vandalism since opening.

On Monday, school staff posted on social media that individuals broke into the stadium and tried to pry the main door and the shutter doors off the concession stand.

Citrus Heights Police confirmed that a representative of Mesa Verde High School reported two incidents of vandalism on June 10 to the Police Department. According to the police, vandals damaged multiple storage containers, a shed, and the concession stand.  Police told The Sentinel on Tuesday that the department is actively investigating the criminal acts, which reportedly occurred in the early morning hours of June 10.

The cost of the damage was not immediately available. Police did not indicate how many individuals were involved.

“We take reports of burglary and vandalism very seriously, especially when it impacts our schools,” Citrus Heights Police Sgt. Joseph Aguilar said.

Mesa Verde High School Varsity Football Coach Leonard Casillas told The Sentinel that individuals caused “major damage” to the security doors, but didn’t get inside the snack bar.

“It’s very unfortunate and disappointing that someone would do that,” Casillas said, adding that it was upsetting to students at the school.

The San Juan Unified School District reported via email on Wednesday that the district has reviewed camera footage of last weekend’s vandalism and submitted a report to the Citrus Heights Police Department.

District Director of Communications Raj Rai also told The Sentinel that four incidents of vandalism have occurred on the new field this year, three of which involved fireworks. Two weeks ago, fireworks were set off on the field, causing damage to some of the turf. Rai said the district is currently coordinating with a contractor to make repairs.

“Vandalism and people messing with the stadium started as soon as they broke ground,” Mesa Verde High School Athletic Director Travis Miller told The Sentinel this week, adding that staff has seen evidence of people driving through on dirt bikes, and construction equipment has been stolen.

Construction equipment has also been driven over the turf in the past, permanently damaging it, Miller said, adding that nearly every weekend, individuals have attempted to break into the press box, snack bar, and storage containers.

Elsewhere on campus, Miller said cameras have been stolen from the soccer storage sheds.

To combat nighttime vandalism, Rai said the district employs a Maintenance and Operations Department dispatcher who monitors campus cameras during overnight hours. Rai added that the district regularly coordinates calls with the Citrus Heights Police Department and Sacramento County Sheriff regarding suspicious activity.

“We also ask our neighbors and community members to report any suspicious activity or behavior they observe on our campuses to law enforcement,” Rai said.

The district earmarked $10 million in funds in 2022 to use for updating and modernizing campuses across the district.

In an August 2023 presentation to the City Council, San Juan Unified School District Executive Director of Labor Relations Daniel Thigpen outlined several areas of concern that the district is addressing, including out-of-date camera systems, internal door locking mechanisms, and perimeter fencing.

Related: What is SJUSD doing to increase safety at Citrus Heights schools? – Citrus Heights Sentinel

As of August, multiple Citrus Heights school sites have already received fencing upgrades. Several more local schools were also scheduled to receive upgrades during the 2023-24 school year, but Mesa Verde High School, Lichen K-8, and Kingswood K-8 were not scheduled to receive fencing upgrades until the 2024-25 school year.

“I’m optimistic that when the fencing goes up we’ll see less of this,” Miller said.