Florida moms hand sons over to police after $50K of school vandalism
Two Florida youths now face serious legal trouble after their own mothers reported them for allegedly causing more than $50,000 in damage to their school’s library.
On September 13, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office said that a pair of boys, ages 12 and 13, gained entry to Friendship Elementary School in Deltona. Investigators say the youngsters first accessed the campus during daylight hours and then returned later that night.
Once inside the library, the preteens allegedly went on a destructive spree — tossing books across the floor, overturning furniture, and spray‑painting doors. Authorities say the damage worsened when the boys reportedly came back to admire their work, set off the fire alarm and caused additional wreckage. Deputies responding to the alarm discovered the media center in shambles.
“Overnight, deputies responded to a fire alarm at Friendship Elementary School in Deltona. Once on scene, they found a glass door had been shattered and the media center had been vandalized,” the department posted on social media, attaching body‑cam footage from an officer at the scene.
Photos released by police show the extent of the destruction: books strewn everywhere, broken furniture and ruined property. Surveillance clips provided by investigators captured two suspects entering the library; one wore a Monster Energy cap and both had their faces partially covered in an apparent effort to hide their identities.
Their moms turned them in
After the department shared images and video online, tips came in quickly — but the crucial leads came from the boys’ own mothers, who recognized them and made the hard choice to notify law enforcement.
“Their moms turned them in,” the Volusia Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Sept. 15 Facebook update that included mugshots of 12‑year‑old Felix Cohen Romero and 13‑year‑old Bentley Ryan Wehrly.
“After the video posted, we received lots of emails identifying them (thank you all!), as well as contacts from each of the defendants’ mothers. The boys confessed to the incident, which caused at least $50,000 in damage to the media center. They broke into the school during the daytime hours, then returned later in the evening to look at the damage and cause more.”
Criminal charges
Both boys now face multiple charges, including two counts of burglary, two counts of trespassing on school grounds, criminal mischief and theft.
Officials haven’t disclosed how the case will move through the juvenile system, but given the scale of the damage, the minors could face significant consequences.
Praise for the moms
The story sparked intense online reaction, largely because the boys’ mothers took responsibility for reporting them. Many commenters commended the parents for making a painful but principled decision.
“Great job moms!!! I’m sure that was incredibly hard, but it was the right thing to do. Helping them learn about consequences is the hardest part of being a parent,” one user wrote under the sheriff’s post.
“Thank you moms for seeing your child needs to see the world doesn’t revolve around them and there are consequences to their actions!” another commented. “I know it was probably hard…”
Others urged additional accountability, suggesting the boys should be made to fix what they destroyed.
“Assign them the library repair every day to clean up their mess from putting books back on the shelves to cleaning every nook and corner,” one person proposed.
“They should have to go clean it up during school hours so everyone can see,” another added.
The vandalism has left the boys not only facing criminal charges but also community scrutiny. Their mothers’ decisions to come forward have been widely described as difficult but necessary parenting — a reminder that lessons about responsibility often begin at home.
Would you call the police on your child if you discovered they’d done something similar? Share your thoughts and pass the story along to keep the conversation going.