US Current Events

Not Terror; Teens To Blame for Water Concerns

BLACKSTONE, Massachusetts -- Authorities charged two teenagers in connection with a break-in at a water facility and expected to charge a third as more than 9,000 area residents waited to hear Wednesday whether their drinking water had been contaminated.
The teens are suspected of cutting the barbed wire at the facility late Monday, breaking connections to an alarm, and then damaging an electrical panel and a vent at the top of a 1.3-million-gallon water storage tank, said Blackstone Police Lt. Gregory Gilmore.
A container, 5-gallon bucket, with an odor was found on top of the tank, but authorities do not yet know what, if anything, was put into the water.
Apparently, the teens first became suspects from boasting at school about it.
"At this point, the police are considering this to be a vandalism incident, not an act of terrorism, but all due diligence should be used until test come back, hopefully negative," Gilmore said.
"We know for sure that when they tampered with the vent cover at the top of the tower some debris had fallen into the water supply," Gilmore said.
The two 15-year-old boys, whose names were not released because of their ages, were charged with malicious destruction of property, tampering with a public water supply and polluting the water supply, all felonies, and trespassing. Gilmore also stated that a 15-year-old girl had NOT been arrested but likely would be charged with trespassing. (of course innocent females).
The water system serves Blackstone's nearly 9,000 residents and about four dozen homes in neighboring North Smithfield, Rhode Island, about 55 miles south of Boston.
A water ban was in effect while the water and container were being tested for biological or chemical contaminants.

posted by scubabri @ 8:54 AM