CHARLEVOIX -- Police are investigating damage to a house built by construction students at Charlevoix High School.
School officials discovered the vandalized single-story wooden structure early Wednesday morning, according to a Charlevoix County Sheriff's Department statement. Students worked on the house over the school year and planned to give it to charity after finishing the detail work.
It appears someone went in through a window and punched holes in the walls and cabinets and spread a can of paint around the interior, Charlevoix Public Schools Superintendent Chet Janik said.
"It was disappointing for the students, the staff and the community," Janik said.
Construction technology students build a structure every year and sell it to recuperate the costs, Janik said, but this house was built for the Moms and Tots Center, a nonprofit organization in Ellsworth that helps mothers.
"I've been overwhelmed with comments from the community about how outraged they are," he said. "They knew the kids involved and they knew they worked pretty hard ... they put their heart and soul into this."
The damage should be repairable, Janik said, and several people have offered help.
Sheriff's investigators have "people of interest" in their investigation into the incident, Sheriff George T. Lasater said, but he wouldn't provide details.
The damage is very disappointing, Lasater said.
"This has been a good year for Charlevoix High School, and it's such a shame that it has to end on such a negative note," he said. "These students worked so hard ... it's got to be so devastating for them and their instructor."
The sheriff's department is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the damage. The department can be contacted at 231-547-4461.
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