Teens charged in school fire

Associated Press

ABERDEEN — Two boys have been charged — one with arson, both with burglary — in a fire last weekend that destroyed the 93-year-old Weatherwax Building at Aberdeen High School.

A 16-year-old from Aberdeen was charged with first-degree arson and second-degree burglary. Now being held on $100,000 bail, he was scheduled for arraignment Thursday. Grays Harbor County prosecutor Jason Richard said the teen also will be subject to a hearing to determine whether he is tried as an adult or a juvenile.

A juvenile court arson conviction could mean detention until age 21. In adult court, a first-time offender would get 21 to 27 months in prison under state sentencing guidelines.

A 17-year-old from Ocean Shores was charged with second-degree burglary. His case will remain in juvenile court, Richards said. He was being held on $50,000 bail and also was scheduled for arraignment Thursday .

The teens were arrested at their homes late Thursday by Aberdeen police and agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. They were being held at the Grays Harbor Juvenile Detention Center.

Police interviewed the boys Thursday night, Aberdeen police Capt. John Green said earlier Friday. They said they had broken into the Weatherwax Building and were in the counseling center, where they set material on fire before leaving, police said.

A witness has told police the intent was only to burn materials on a desk in the room, not level the building. The 16-year-old apparently was concerned about the impact of materials there on a custody battle between his parents, court papers say.

The affidavit for a search warrant at the boys’ homes, obtained by The Daily World newspaper, said both were drunk during the Jan. 5 break-in. The fire — set about 11:30 p.m. — was reported about 11:44 p.m.

Contractors were working to make the site safe enough for investigators to enter.

Classes resumed Thursday for 1,100 students, using other buildings on the campus and nearby churches.

The three-alarm fire destroyed the three-story building, which housed about 22 classrooms, a library, computer labs and the counseling center.

Also burned were murals made by students decades ago, every annual published by the school and every trophy the school had won since 1909, when the Weatherwax Building opened.