Vandals damage school

Vandals broke into Broad Horizons either Tuesday evening or early Wednesday morning, causing $700 in damage to glass windows and a glass door, police said Wednesday.

The individual or individuals broke three 3-by-5 windows on the west side of the school building and a glass door which led to a classroom.

At this time there is no determination on the appearance of the suspects, Portales Police Capt. Lonnie Berry said.

“We are currently following some leads and we’ll know more in the next couple of days after we’ve exhausted our leads,” Berry said. “We know the incident happened between 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and 7 a.m. on Wednesday. At this time, it doesn’t seem as if anything was stolen.”

An increased amount of vandalism has occurred at public schools in Portales over the last few years, school officials say.

On Monday night, Portales Schools Finance Director Murphy Quick estimated more than $50,000 in damages has occurred over the last few years.

He said by next fall all schools should have a security system. The $115,000 district-wide security network should help keep vandals at bay and students and teachers safe, Quick said.

Broad Horizons Principal Sharon Haught said she didn’t notice anything stolen at the school. Haught said she and two other employees left at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday and everything was okay.

“When I came in at 6:45 (a.m.), I immediately noticed the damage to the glass door,” Haught said. “Nothing inside was damaged. I went in and immediately called the police.”