Copyright Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Santa Rosa police arrested five 15-year-old Montgomery High School students Thursday in connection with the vandalism of the now-shuttered Herbert Slater Middle School that caused an estimated $5,000 in damage, authorities said. District employees discovered the damage around 10:45 a.m. Sunday and reported it to police. Officers said the vandalism spanned multiple areas — including the gym, boys’ and girls’ locker rooms, weight room, wrestling room and stage — and involved a broken skylight, torn curtains, a damaged TV and other destruction. Slater Middle School closed in June after the 2024-25 school year. It was among four campuses — two middle and two elementary schools — the Santa Rosa City Schools Board of Trustees voted to close to help offset a projected $20 million budget shortfall. Two more campuses, Hilliard Comstock Middle and Steele Lane Elementary, are scheduled to close next June. Although middle and high school students now share campuses, their athletic programs remain separate, district spokesperson Patrick Gannon said. No regular instruction occurs at Slater or Santa Rosa middle schools, but both campuses are still used for junior high sports practices and games. In the days following the discovery, district staff and police reviewed surveillance footage and identified five sophomore students at Montgomery as suspects, officials said. On Thursday afternoon, school officials and Santa Rosa police removed the boys from class and took them to the office, where they were arrested and later booked into juvenile hall on suspicion of felony vandalism, burglary and conspiracy to commit a felony. Police did not release the boys’ names because of their age and said further details about their motives or methods would not be disclosed due to the ongoing investigation.
