Five arrested in toilet paper vandalism at Swansea school

By Melissa M. Werthmann, Globe Correspondent

Police arrested five people early this morning for vandalizing Joseph Case High School with toilet paper and locking its doors shut with bicycle chains, Swansea police said.

A Swansea officer on routine patrol noticed toilet paper scattered over trees and school buses on the school’s property at 1:30 a.m., police said in a statement.

The officer noticed that all of the exterior doors of the building had been locked with chains and called the fire department to cut the locks in case of a fire. Plastic utensils on the ground spelled “Somerset,” a neighboring town of Swansea, police said.

Two males allegedly involved in the incident were found at a Target store and shared their accomplices’ information with police.

Police found the other parties allegedly involved in the incident with the help of the suspects’ parents. One male was found near the same Target, and two others were found hours later several miles from the school on Stevens Road, police said.

The alleged vandals include William Boulay, 20; Edward Cellemme II, 19; Nicholas Griffin, 17; Evan Sousa, 18; and Bruce Antone, 19; all of Swansea. Two of the suspects are current students at the high school, police said.

All five were arrested and charged with malicious destruction of property over $250, defacement of real property, conspiracy, and trespassing. The prank led to felony charges because the suspects secured the school doors, police said.

All five are are to be arraigned today in Fall River District Court. An employee at the court’s clerk’s office said the suspects had not yet entered pleas.