Whitman Teen Party Trashes Bethesda House; 3 Charged: Police

BETHESDA, MD — A group of Walt Whitman High School students broke into a vacant Bethesda rental house, held a drinking party and vandalized the property, say the owner and police. During the July 1 bash, partygoers broke windows, ripped doors from their hinges and kicked in walls, Montgomery County Police say.

Authorities have charged two Washington, D.C., boys and a Bethesda girl with one count of fourth-degree burglary, one count of trespassing and one count of destruction of property under $1,000, reports Montgomery Community Media. (Get the latest local news alerts by signing up for the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Patch newsletter, or like us on Facebook.)

Last week, Whitman Principal Alan Goodwin sent an email to parents denouncing the vandalism. “The destruction by students of a vacated rental home is horrible," he wrote. "This serves as a reminder that we all must be forever vigilant as we guide teenagers through their high school years.”

The homeowner says that a Whitman student promoted the party on social media and asked that parents question their children about whether they know any of the teens involved or saw photos and videos of the bash.

Goodwin shared a letter to the community written by the unidentified owner of the house where the party was held. It said:

“Dear Whitman Parents,

On July 1st, our rental property in Bethesda was the target of a burglary by a number of Whitman high school students. During the party the house was vandalized including broken windows, doors torn off hinges, and walls kicked in. There was also drug use and the consumption of alcohol. Adding insult to injury, a few days after we cleaned it up, more kids broke in and vandalized it a second time.

The saddest moment for us was in the final clean up when three immigrants, who barely spoke English, were boarding up the many broken windows and doors. We could only wonder what they were thinking of the values of Americans. This is where you come in – to help us maintain the values and standards in our community.

It’s come to our attention that a Whitman student advertised the party to a number of friends and then videos/photos were sent around on social media. Your child may have seen them or have knowledge of the party. If you are a Whitman parent, we would greatly appreciate any help if your child has heard anything about this party, or even better – videos, pictures or names of people involved. We are devastated that the house was trashed and would deeply appreciate your support.

The police officer who came after the second break-in said he had never seen anything this bad.”

Image via Shutterstock