School bus equipment damaged

Eighteen Post Falls school buses were entered last weekend, resulting in camera equipment being broken and items stolen.

The suspect caused an estimated $1,014 in damage at the fenced bus parking area at 505 W. 12th Ave. and stole $177 worth of items including flashlights, tally counters, clipboards, seat belt cutters, glasses, candy and other miscellaneous items. Police noted a shed at nearby Seltice Elementary was also damaged.

"We're unhappy that it happened, but it could have been a lot worse," said Sid Armstrong, the district's finance director. "The whole cameras were not destroyed — just the lenses — so that will be a relatively easy fix. Once someone was in the buses, they could have cut up the seats with a knife or caused a lot more damage."

Armstrong said the buses have been in operation this week as usual.

"We've re-ordered replacement lenses so those should be installed in a few days," Armstrong said. "It appears that they hit the lenses with something."

A juvenile suspect was questioned on Thursday.

The suspect left behind scattered debris in the parking lot, including a busted clipboard and a pair of glasses.

Armstrong said the suspect may have scaled the 10-foot fence to enter the bus parking area or entered a specific area where the bottom of the fence is raised. Buses are not locked and can be entered by pulling the doors open.

Armstrong said school officials are debating whether to have surveillance video at the bus area.

"It hasn't been a site that we worried about until now," he said, adding this is the first vandalism incident he's aware of at the bus parking area in at least 20 years.

Post Falls Police Capt. Greg McLean said whether the bus incident is tied to the shed vandalism is being investigated, but both of the incidents occurred around the same time and in the same vicinity.

Those with information are urged to call Post Falls Police at 773-3517 or leave an anonymous tip at www.postfallspolice.com.