Police: Teen on forklift does $100K of damage to school and home

Aug. 3, 2009
Teen said to have stolen forklift and smashed elementary school before losing control of machine

OMAHA, Neb. --

A 16-year-old has been charged as an adult stemming from a prank that resulted in extensive damage to an Omaha school and home.

Jonathon Cote faces three counts of felony criminal mischief after police said he and a 13-year-old boy broke into the heavy construction vehicle Monday morning and took aim at Westgate Elementary School.

Police said the teens smashed away a corner of the school, placed a Dumpster on the school's roof and tore up the playground. The teens then lost control of the forklift, rolling it down a hill and into the home of Butch Kozeny, who described the 4 a.m. impact as sounding like someone "lit a bomb" in his house.

The impact buckled a wall of Kozeny's house.

Total damage estimates in the vandalism spree went above $100,000.

Cote will have his bond set Thursday. He is in custody at the Douglas County Youth Center.

Copyright 2009 by KCCI.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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