Teens Destroy A Pricey Home
Partying teen-agers at a wild weekend bash in an affluent Kansas City suburb caused damage estimated at $50,000 to a vacant home, police said.
KCTV Reporter Betty Sexton says doors were lifted off hinges, and the basement ceiling was pulled down. Partygoers spray-painted the carpets and ruined the home's marble fireplace.
"It looks like a hurricane went through here," says one of the contractors working to repair the $300,000 home.
The 6,000-square-foot house, owned by Larry Vohland, had been vacant since tenants moved out about three weeks ago.
"I've seen this for a couple of days, and I'm still in complete shock," said Vohland. "Who could have done something like this? Why?"
The damage also included cracked walls and broken windows. An upstairs bathtub was filled with cigarette butts and soft drink cans.
The outline of a body was painted in red on the living room floor. A 10-foot sailboat was brought inside and smashed repeatedly into a living room wall. Profanities were spray-painted on many surfaces.
Police say party organizers staked out a vacant house, then broke in and held a keg party, charging teens (some as young as 16) $5 to come in and drink. Organizers also taped ceiling tiles over the windows so that lights wouldn't attract attention, police said.
Word went out about the Saturday night party, and it drew between 150 and 200 teens from across the Kansas City area. Police, alerted by one of the people attending the party, raided it shortly before midnight, taking six people into custody.
No charges had been filed Thursday, but Leawood Police Sgt. Craig Hill said at least 20 teen-agers could face charges of trespassing, destruction of property, and alcohol possession.
"These students," said Hill, "have no idea what they've stepped into."
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