MILFORD — Groups of students made their way through the home field bleachers at Milford High School on Tuesday, almost looking like tourists at a museum, taking pictures and commenting on the paintings. The "art," however, was vandalism covering many of the buildings near the football field. Spray-painted phrases like "MHS accepts rape" and "Not safe here" printed on the walls of the ticket booth, concession stand and press booth stand out. The phrases appear to be a reference to the Netflix show "13 Reasons Why" and lyrics by rapper XXXTentacion. "On the front of the building, one message states, 'RIP XXX.' This is not a credible threat," Milford High Principal Joshua Otlin wrote in an email to parents on Tuesday morning. Two juveniles - a 17-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy - believed to be responsible were caught on surveillance camera, according to Milford police. The teenagers, who attend the school, were recorded about 3 a.m. and were later recognized by the school resource officer. "This is why it is so important to have a school resource officer at the school," said Chief Thomas O'Loughlin. "He recognizes the students on a day-to-day basis." O'Loughlin said police are still investigating the vandalism and references made in the vandalism. O'Loughlin said the offense is likely a misdemeanor. Punishments for such a crime could include fining the accused three times the value of the damage done, 500 hours of community service and/or a one-year driver's license suspension, whether they have one or not, according to O'Loughlin. Milford Superintendent of Schools Kevin McIntyre told the Daily News that there could be thousands of dollars worth of damage done by the duo. He said the graffiti that references rape has nothing to do with any incident that has occurred on school grounds. "We always encourage students that if there is any kind of an issue to reach out to a trusted adult," he said. "We try to drive those messages home because we want to be safe and supportive." Otlin called the vandalism a tribute to XXXTentacion, who was killed Monday. XXXTentacion, a rapper and singer, was fatally shot in the driver's seat of a luxury electric sports car in Deerfield Beach, Florida. McIntyre said he is unsure of the motivation behind the act. "Anything I say is just speculation," he said. "Was it them looking for some assistance, or was it a joke, or were they just fans of that rapper?" When it comes to anxiety about school shootings, especially in today's climate, he said he's not worried there's a threat. The vandalism at Milford High was discovered about 6 a.m. Tuesday, as well as similar markings at Fino Field, according to a Milford police statement. The buildings near the high school field were recently renovated, work that was fueled by student work and fundraising. Sophomore Xavier Hilton said he put a lot of time and effort into fixing up the place. "I don't think this is right," Hilton said, as he was looking at the graffiti for the first time on Tuesday afternoon. "Other people use this field. All these athletes out here, we don't like this. It's really just not cool." Hilton said he was at the field from about 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday and the walls were clean. He and his friends go to the field almost every day to work out and practice for football season. "This means everything to us," he said. "Just being able to have this is an honor, and when someone disrespects it, it's not right." There was also graffiti in front of the school, but it was promptly removed by town staff. Last week, graffiti was found on the turf field, which has also since been removed. For Milford High students, it's a general consensus that there is no validity to the messages written on the walls were true, and that it was an act of displaced hatred. "If you don't like MHS, you shouldn't have come here in the first place," Hilton said. "MHS is a family, we do this all together." Scott Calzolaio can be reached at scalzolaio@wickedlocal.com or 508-734-0389. Follow him on Twitter @ScottCaz<doc-sep>Schools 'MHS Accepts Rape': Major Graffiti Damages At Milford School Thousands of dollars of damages in the form of graffiti was reportedly sprayed on Milford High School overnight, and there are suspects. Reply MILFORD, MA—Two juveniles have been identified and charged in connection with a major graffiti job overnight at Milford High School. Both the high school and the school's athletic fields and facilities were vandalized, with a "fair amount of graffiti and the words and symbols varied," said Superintendent Kevin McIntyre. Numerous messages, including such words as "MHS accepts rape" and "not safe here" were splashed in black and red spray paint on various spots of the high school building, including the front doors, reports WCVB-TV. The tagging was apparently done overnight, probably some time between 2-3 a.m. "We have identified the two juveniles and are addressing the situation," said McIntyre. Police Chief Tom O'Loughlin said that one 17-year-old female and a 16-year-old male had been "identified as being responsible for the graffiti" and that charges were being filed with Milford Juvenile Court. Clean-up of the graffiti is in process.<doc-sep>
Graffiti vandals cause thousands in damage, superintendent says Messages in black and red spray paint were scrawled over the front doors of Milford High School and on structures near the athletic fields overnight, the superintendent said.The graffiti was painted sometime between 2 and 3 a.m., said Superintendent Kevin McIntyre. The spray paint caused several thousand dollars' worth of damage, he said. School Resource Officer Joe Gresian identified two juveniles who are believed to be responsible for the overnight vandalism, police said. The teenagers, a 17-year-old female and a 16-year-old-male, were not publicly identified because of their age. Photos sent to WCVB show that the graffiti included messages such as: "MHS accepts rape," "School gone wrong," "Not safe here" and "Could've helped us. "Charges will be filed in Milford Juvenile Court. A similar incident also occurred on the athletic fields early last week, McIntyre said. Messages in black and red spray paint were scrawled over the front doors of Milford High School and on structures near the athletic fields overnight, the superintendent said. The graffiti was painted sometime between 2 and 3 a.m., said Superintendent Kevin McIntyre. The spray paint caused several thousand dollars' worth of damage, he said. School Resource Officer Joe Gresian identified two juveniles who are believed to be responsible for the overnight vandalism, police said. The teenagers, a 17-year-old female and a 16-year-old-male, were not publicly identified because of their age. Photos sent to WCVB show that the graffiti included messages such as: "MHS accepts rape," "School gone wrong," "Not safe here" and "Could've helped us." Charges will be filed in Milford Juvenile Court. A similar incident also occurred on the athletic fields early last week, McIntyre said.