Terri Salisbury, regional director for the Custer County Health Department (CCHD), reported during the county commission meeting the Weatherford office was vandalized this past weekend.
Salisbury reported a minor allegedly threw a brick at a double paned window, which has since been boarded up to secure the building. The guardian of the minor has since contacted the department to make restitution, and the Weatherford Police Department has spoken with the minor.
Weatherford Police Department Lt. Christ Cote said the minor was detained for breaking a window at the CCHD in Weatherford.
“We did detain a juvenile who admitted to breaking a window at the health department, but we are unsure if the crimes are connected,” Cote said, referring to the six reports of vandalisms Sunday, resulting in dented car doors and broken windows.
“It’s always best to park vehicles in well-lit areas and individuals need to make sure they can see their vehicle from inside their house. If individuals own security cameras it’s always best for their vehicle to be parked within the camera’s vision,” Cote said.
Salisbury said WPD wanted to know if the CCHD wanted to press charges.
Salisbury said she wanted the board to make that decision because the building is county property.
The commissioners agreed they did not want to press charges. However, District 1 Commissioner Wade Anders and District 3 Commissioner Lyle Miller said they wanted to make sure the county still would get restitution. District 2 Commissioner Bruce Walker said he was in favor of giving the youth a second chance.
In other news, Miller mentioned the flooding at the courthouse last week. A pipe in the courthouse attic broke Wednesday night and was not discovered until Thursday morning.
Miller said the courthouse staff and jail trustees worked hard to contain and clean up the mess caused by the break. He said even District Judge Jill Weedon assisted with the cleanup. The extent of the damages still is being assessed. The OSU Extension office has been moved into the canteen for the time being.
The board approved the Schedule of Expenditures of Federal Awards for the 2021 fiscal year. The board also approved a transfer of about $25,000 in CARES Act funding from Improvement M&O to Capital Outlay to purchase heavy equipment.
The board approved blanket purchase orders, purchase orders for payment and payroll.
City Editor Montgomery Malone contributed to this report.