Vandals leave deer carcasses at Pleasanton High School

[Guest guest]

Vandals leave deer carcasses at Amador

Toilet paper, splattered eggs found throughout school

By Rebecca Emmerich

 

and Kim Santos

STAFF WRITERS

 

PLEASANTON -- Vandals left decomposed deer floating in the swimming pool and

lying in two other spots on the Amador Valley High School campus early

Friday.

 

Also, toilet paper and splattered eggs were found throughout the school,

lunch tables were discovered on the roof and there were other signs of

vandalism.

 

Kathleen Ruegsegger, spokeswoman for the Pleasanton Unified School District,

said police and school officials had not determined who was responsible for

the acts, although one student had come forward regarding a mattress thrown

in the pool.

 

" They're finding that it was probably small pockets of students, independent

of each other, responsible for the different pieces, " she said, noting that

there may have been four groups.

 

Pleasanton police officers found two deer in the quad area shortly after the

school alarm went off at 2:30 a.m.

 

The deer in the pool was found later in the morning. It actually was unclear

whether it was one or two deer because the carcass was so badly decomposed.

 

" All have been confirmed by animal control as probable victims of roadkill, "

Ruegsegger said. " They were probably brought to campus after they were

already dead. "

 

Pleasanton Police Lt. Greg Wixom said he believed the deer did not die at

the hands of students.

 

" These are not Bambi killers, " he said.

 

Pleasanton police said they suspect the deer were picked up in the Sunol

area.

 

School officials moved quickly, calling in custodians to clean up as much of

the mess as possible before students arrived for classes.

 

The school has closed access to the pool and will heavily chlorinate it for

several days, officials said. After repeated testing for contamination, they

will determine whether it can be reopened next week.

 

Deer can carry a bacteria called leptospirosis, which is contained in their

urine. The bacteria can cause fever,

 

headache and severe muscle pain, and in some cases, meningitis, liver and

kidney dysfunction and eye inflammation, according to the Web site for the

Medical College of Wisconsin Physicians and Clinics.

 

Swimmers can become infected with it through open cuts, mucous membranes or

ingestion. The disease is treatable with antibiotics.

 

Pleasanton police said they were unsure whether the pool would have to be

drained.

 

Principal Bill Coupe canceled a senior assembly scheduled for the morning,

but an end-of-the-year dance and a girls " powder puff " football game were

allowed to go on Friday night.

 

Ruegsegger said some students are trying to assist school and police

officials with finding those responsible.

 

" The students are trying to cooperate, " she said. " The students who may

remotely know something are trying to help. "

 

School officials announced to the student body that a $1,000 reward could be

given to anyone with credible information, a student said.

 

The repercussions for the people involved in transporting and dumping the

deer could be severe. The acts may be considered felonies, Ruegsegger said.

 

Moreover, it just was not funny, Wixom said.

 

" That's somewhat of a departure from humor, " he said. " Kids nowadays have a

strange sense of humor. "

 

 

 

 

_______________

MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:

http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx