The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) is investigating the vandalism of the Hernando High School (HHS) Softball locker room at Tom Varn Park in Brooksville. The Park is home to the championship winning HHS softball program. Patrol deputies discovered the break-in just after 1 a.m. on July 14, HCSO Deputy Public Information Officer (PIO) Michael Terry said.
He declined to comment on the scope of the vandalism. “We have an active investigation into the vandalism, and no additional details are available at this time,” Terry said.
Meanwhile, City of Brooksville Public Information Officer (PIO) Charlene F. Kuhn said that the city and the school are currently conducting an inventory to determine what was taken in the incident. “Based on our preliminary observations, it appears that a few bats have been stolen,” she said.
Also, according to Kuhn, the locker room door had been kicked in after bolts were “forcefully” broken, both district and state trophies were shattered, the coach’s closet was ransacked, and ceiling tiles were broken. “The entire contents of the fridge were emptied and scattered, and the walls were littered with graffiti,” she said.
Based on the damage and the number of man-hours it will take to repair it, the incident is expected to cost the City a total of $3,000, Kuhn said.
HCSO detectives continue to look into the incident, Terry said.