West Bloomfield Schools Events Canceled After Bus Vandalism

Updated — Wednesday, April 18, 3:51 p.m.

Orchard Lake Police Department detectives are seeking information about three individuals seen on surveillance video who police believe may have damaged 18 West Bloomfield School District buses Tuesday night.

Surveillance footage showed three people climbing over a west fence into the district's transportation building (3340 Orchard Lake Rd., Orchard Lake), just north of , around 10:23 p.m. Tuesday, said Detective Darrell Betts.

From there, police suspect that the three pulled fuses out of the buses, leaving them on the ground. Eighteen buses were damaged out of the 58 which the district currently operates, according to administration officials.

West Bloomfield Schools announced its closure around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday due to the vandalism, which also forced closure of Orchard Lake Our Lady of Refuge.

Events at including instrument rental night are scheduled to go on as planned, while events at elementaries and middle schools including some community education classes are canceled. Administrative officials said the district plans to be in full operation by Thursday morning.

The events are similar to those of a in which two people were seen on tape damaging 18 buses; school was canceled for one day that time as well.

In response to that first case of vandalism, the district pursued upgrading its surveillance equipment at the building, said Superintendent JoAnn Andrees. However, the new equipment is not in place yet.

The suspects were seen leaving over the fence about 10:40 p.m. Evidence technicians from the Oakland County Sheriff were called to dust the fuses for fingerprints, Betts said. He added that simply based on surveillance footage, there was no way to tell if the two recent events involved the same individuals.

"We plan to catch these people and see them prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," Andrees added. "I'm so terribly sorry to have to cancel a day of learning."

Anyone with information can contact the Orchard Lake Police Department at 248-682-2400.