No Arrests Made in Case of CDMHS Vandalism

It's been almost three months since vandals struck Corona del Mar High School and splattered offensive messages around the campus, but police have yet to determine who is responsible.

"There were no arrests on that case," Sgt. Steve Burdette of the Newport Beach Police Department said. "The suspect(s) are still outstanding."

In January, Tom Monarch, the school's resource officer, filed a police report that showed that the vandalism occurred on campus between Dec. 29-30 and caused an estimated $4,200 worth of damage, he said. According to the filed report, the vandalism may have been the result of an ongoing rivalry between Newport Harbor and Corona del Mar high schools. 

The messages were written across three sections of the school. The main quad area—which normally features CDMHS artwork—had messages spray-painted over the work with the message "Harbor Rocks, CDM Sucks." The Sea King statue that sits in the middle of the quad was also damaged, with red paint smeared on both of its eyes. The school's Marian Bergeson Aquatic Center was also a target. The tinted windows of the offices were tagged "Sailors Rule," and above the windows on the wall the vandals wrote an obscene message derogatory to the school and to homosexuals. 

Laura Boss, spokeswoman for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, said normal protocol for this type of vandalism, where hate messages are  involved, is to have an internal investigation between the schools, in addition to the police investigation.  The district investigation did not result in any further information.

"According to the principal at CDM, the investigation at NHHS has been concluded with no results," Boss said.