Authorities said the report on four Sallisaw vandals who were caught Friday took almost a full ream of copy paper when they completed it Monday evening.

Sallisaw Police Chief Shaloa Edwards said this was the largest case of this type of criminal activity he has ever seen.

The four involved, Darrel James Jones, 19, Donald Dean Whitworth, 23, Jerry Dean Boling, 19, and a 16-year-old juvenile male, all of Sallisaw, were arrested Friday and are being held without bond.

A witness saw Jones’ vehicle in the area at the time of the vandalism. The witnesses report led police to the suspects.

Authorities said while questioning Jones he started confessing to several vandalisms, thefts, and arsons throughout Sequoyah, Adair, Tulsa, and Sebastian Counties.

“This is big,” Edwards said. “The damage could easily amount to millions of dollars after everything is added up.”

Jones was transferred to the Sequoyah County Jail Saturday and Whitworth and Boling were transferred at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday according to jail authorites. The juvenile was taken to Craig County Detention Center and is being held on a $250,000 bond.

Jones, Whitworth, and Boling’s arraignment will be 9:30 a.m. Friday at Sequoyah County District Court, Sallisaw.

“Charges will more then likely be filed against the four suspects in each of the four counties,” Edwards said.

The break

On Friday Sallisaw Detective Herb Hutchinson, Sgt. Jeff Murray and Sequoyah County Deputy Greg Cox drove to Jones’ home on Badger Lee Road north of Sallisaw after receiving information about Jones’ truck being seen near the school Tuesday morning.

When officers arrived at Jones’ home they found muddy, wet shoes on the front porch with soles that matched the imprints left at the school. The officers took Jones, Boling and the juvenile to the Sallisaw Police Department for questioning.

So far, authorities say the four are suspected of being involved in vandalized boats at Snake Creek Marina in Cherokee County, the Greasy School fire in Adair County, Blue Ribbon Auto Group vandalism, a few car fires in Sallisaw and some vandalisms in Sebastian County.

Jones and Boling are suspected of 17 counts of second-degree burglary, 88 counts of malicious injury to property, six counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, five counts of knowingly concealing stolen property, one count of third-degree arson, and one count of endangering human life during commission of arson.

Whitworth and the juvenile are suspected of 78 counts of malicious injury to property, four counts of second degree burglary, and three counts of knowingly concealing stolen property.

According to the Sallisaw Police report 17 victims have been named and detectives expect more. Edwards said as the investigation goes further more arrests are expected.

School vandalism

The vandals confessed they struck the Sallisaw High School Vocational Agriculture (Vo-Ag) building late Thursday or early Friday. They spray painted walls, destroyed windows throughout the building, tore down ceiling tiles, and played “crash derby” with the school buses.

According to the report, they broke computers, televisons, cabinets, broke the windshield on the driver’s education vehicle, they sprayed the fire extinguisher throughout the building and 12 school buses were damaged.

“I don’t think a tornado could of done that kind of damage,” Ernie Martens, Sallisaw High School principle said.

Martens said three smart boards, which cost the school about $2,500 each were torn from the wall and destroyed.

Ron Wyrick, school superintendent, said he isn’t sure what the exact damage amount is. He said the insurance adjusters were still assessing the damage.

“The adjusters came in Monday and assessed the damage to the vehicles and buses. On Tuesday they finished assessing the building,” Wyrick said.

He said he expected the total damage results to be reported within the next few weeks.

Cleaning up

On Saturday, the Future Farmers of America (FFA) students and teacher Roger Stites cleaned up the Vo-Ag building with the help of FFA members from Muldrow School.

Martens said although it is unfortunate that former Sallisaw High School students would do something like this, he is really impressed with the way the current students have stepped up.

“I’m very proud of our students,” Martens said. “I appreciate the parents, teachers, and staff who helped with the clean up Saturday.”

On Monday Martens said the building looked good. He said the only major thing left to do is replace the glass windows.

“The students were back in their classrooms Monday morning,” Wyrick said. “They didn’t want the vandals to disrupt their education.”

Jones’s confessions

Jones said he and Boling broke into the school, according to the police report. He told authorities when they were done damaging the Vo-Ag building the two started walking back to his truck, which was parked at the Garden Walk Apartments on J.T. Stites Boulevard.

Jones said Boling wanted to drive a bus. The two then decided to break into the bus garage. They took the bus keys and drove the buses into different things in the parking lot.

Jones said he didn’t think the bus could break through the gate so he tried to drive it through the Vo-Ag building. Hutchinson asked Jones what he was going to do once he got the bus into the main parking lot of the school. Jones said he was going to drive the bus into the main high school building.

Cox said Jones told him the most fun he had was playing crash derby with the school buses at the Sallisaw High School.

Hutchinson asked what the motive was for breaking into the school. Jones told Hutchinson he thought $10,000 would be inside the building because of the recent fundraising sale of the Blue and Gold food products.

According to the police report, Jones said he and Boling drove to Greasy School on Aug. 21 in Adair County and, “Set the school on fire and left.”

Cox said Jones told him he was mad because his girlfriend broke up with him and her mom worked at Greasy School. Cox said Jones told him he wanted to make himself (Jones) feel better and setting the school on fire did.

Hutchinson asked Jones if there were any other crimes Jones wanted to talk about. According to the report Jones said, “There is a bunch.”

Jones said on Aug. 29 he caught a ride to Garden Walk Apartments and set a vehicle on fire.

On Sept. 3 Boling drove Jones to 906 Belmont St. and cut the soft roof of a vehicle and damaged the paint. Jones said he broke into Journey Church on two separate occasions with Boling and stole money.

Jones said on Oct. 27 he, the juvenile, Whitworth and Boling went to the Blue Ribbon Auto Group in Sallisaw and broke into cars and stole four or five radios. Jones said after taking the radios he, Whitworth, Boling, and the juvenile walked from car to car and vandalized them.

Whitworth told authorities, “Jones just flipped out and started hitting and smashing everything in his path.”

Boling’s confessions

According to the report, Boling started crying and said he was sorry for not telling the truth. He said he realized what he did was wrong. Boling said he did break into the school but he only broke one window while Jones did the rest of the damage. Boling also confessed to driving three of the buses.

Boling told authorities that he and Jones broke into First Baptist Church and took a couple of dollars and a digital camera. Boling said Jones broke windows and destroyed the inside of the church.

On Oct. 28 Boling said he and Jones went to the parking lot of Hardees and Jones broke a window in a Ford pickup and stole the radio.

Officers contacted juvenile services which informed the officers a judge was placing him in a juvenile lock up facility According to the police report, while the juvenile was at the police department he told officers, “They were just going to have to turn him loose,” as he was smiling at officers. When the officers informed the juvenile he was going to be booked and transported to a juvenile facility the juvenile said, “Will you let me go if I talk to you.” The juvenile was placed in a holding room until he could be transported.

Whitworth’s history

Whitworth has several charges on file at the Sequoyah County Courthouse according to court records.

•June 2005; driving left of center and transporting an open container.

•August 2005; a misdemeanor malicious injury to property.

•April 2006; driving under the influence under the age of 21.

•August 2006; misdemeanor failure to obey traffic signal, and a felony unlawful possession of a controlled dangerous substance within 2,000 feet of a school or daycare with intent to distribute.

•October 2006; misdemeanor unlawful possession of marijuana.

•March 2007; felony maintaining a place for use of a controlled dangerous substance.

•April 2008; felony possession of a controlled dangerous substance.

•In August, misdemeanor domestic abuse and assault and battery.

Also a report was filed in August 2008 with the Sallisaw Police Department about a burglary at Whitworth’s home located on the 600 block of Cody Lane in Sallisaw.

According to the report, the front door of Whitworth’s home was kicked in, furniture was cut with a sharp object and the place was in disarray. Edwards said no arrests have been made regarding the burglary but he believes, although it is not confirmed that, Whitworth may have owed money or drugs to someone.

Sallisaw Police and Sallisaw Fire Department were called to Whitworth’s home on Oct. 23 about a car on fire in Whitworth’s drive way. Whitworth told authorities he was having trouble with Denise Fargo of Sallisaw every since her car was set on fire Aug. 29. He said she blamed him for catching her car on fire. Jones told officers that he caught a ride to Fargo’s apartment and set Fargo’s car on fire. Jones said his friend Whitworth was having trouble with Fargo so he decided to burn her vehicle.