CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC)– A group of kids have caused thousands of dollars in damage after breaking into a neighborhood pool in Chesterfield last week.
On Friday, Sept. 2, four boys were caught on surveillance video breaking into the Ashton Woods pool on Sunset Knoll Road in Chesterfield.
In the security footage, one boy can be seen sliding through a fence and then waving at the camera. The others busted through the gate and climbed underneath. A screenshot from the surveillance footage around 5:51 p.m. shows two boys walking toward one of the security cameras.
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Credit: 8News -
Credit: 8News
Carrie Rossi is the pool director at Ashton Woods. According to Rossi, they’re out nearly $6,000 after their fences, pool equipment and security cameras were damaged by the four boys.
“It’s disturbing, it’s upsetting, it’s heartbreaking,” Rossi said.
On Saturday morning, the day after the boys had broke in, Rossi noticed that the cameras were down. She said she immediately headed out to the pool and found the damage.
“They kicked all of our little brackets off and were able to pull the gate out and climb under that way,” Rossi said.
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Credit: 8News -
Credit: 8News
According to the pool staff, three cameras were swatted down and messed with. The boys were caught throwing items like shoes and pool nets in order to knock down some of the cameras. They even left some of their clothes outside the gate.
Rossi told 8news the boys were jumping inside trash cans and then into the pool. The kids were also caught trying to push the lifeguard stand in the pool, then jumping off that too.
“Our residents pay good money to live in this neighborhood and then to have kids come in and just be reckless…irresponsible, it hurts,” Rossi said. “It’s upsetting because we’ve tried really hard this year to turn this pool back around.”
“You have young kids in life vests jumping into the dive well,” Rossi said. “It was a scary situation just for the fact that’s a 10 foot dive well.”
The Ashton Woods pool just closed on Sept. 5 to end the summer. Neighbors are able to use the pool when it’s open, along with community members who pay for a membership.
The staff is calling the damage a “set back.” But they have faith that the community will find who is responsible.
If you can identify the children in the security footage, contact Chesterfield Police at 804-748-1251.
