Four people are now facing charges after a high school senior prank in Canton, Ohio. One former student, Eloy Lopes, is reportedly facing criminal charges punishable with a prison sentence of up to eight years for holding a door open.
According to Ohio's Fox 8 News, Lopes was charged with criminal trespass and inducing panic for allegedly holding the door open during a prank in which someone rode a dirt bike through the hallways of GlenOak High School on Friday, May 11. The second-degree felony has a maximum prison sentence of eight years and a $15,000 fine in Ohio.
In an interview with Fox 8, Stark County Sheriff’s Office Captain CJ Stantz said that riding a motor vehicle inside of a school building is no laughing matter.
"It wasn't funny to us, and it wasn't funny to the school,” he said. "Through investigation we were able to find all of the students involved, and they all were charged.” He added, "Anytime you disrupt the school when you're riding a motor vehicle inside of a school building, to us that's not a senior prank, that's a criminal offense."
The 17-year-old who was riding the dirt bike, along with two other 18-year-olds, are also facing charges, Fox 8 reported.
While the senior prank at GlenOak resulted in criminal charges, other schools and police departments in other cities have celebrated students for participating in a traditional senior prank. Four Wisconsin students have recently received praise from their local police department for pulling off "one of best senior pranks."
The four Cumberland High School seniors, who all work in their school's auto mechanic shop, sawed off the front half of a car to make it appear as if it had crashed into the school, particularly where the principal's office is located, NBC News reported.
The Cumberland Police Department celebrated the prank in a Facebook post.
"Hats off to the Cumberland High School Class of 2018 on your senior prank," the post read. "Congratulations Class of 2018 on one of best senior pranks that Cumberland High School has seen. Congratulations to all the seniors who are graduating."
