Moms help catch their middle school sons who caused $50K in damage to school library

Two Florida mothers did the right thing even if their sons didn’t, calling the police after video surfaced of the boys vandalizing their school’s media center, causing an estimated $50,000 in damage.

According to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, Bentley Ryan Wehrly, 13, and Felix Cohen Romero, 12, broke into the library at Friendship Elementary School in Deltona on Saturday. They entered during the day, then returned at night to cause more damage.

The boys wore masks but tripped a fire alarm during their late-night visit, which prompted a police response at about 1 a.m., the New York Post reported.

Wehrly and Romero were not apprehended that night, but surveillance video posted by the department led to tips that identified the boys. Their mothers also contacted police, the department said.

The suspects, who confessed to the vandalism, are each charged with two counts of burglary, two counts of trespassing on school grounds, criminal mischief and theft.

The damage included a shattered glass door, broken furniture, graffiti and books thrown across the floor.

Social media users praised the mothers for stepping forward.

“Great job moms!!! I’m sure that was incredibly hard but it was the right thing to do. Helping them learn about consequences is the hardest part of being a parent,” wrote Jennifer Eve on Facebook.

“Don’t let them off on this,” wrote Coca Bluee. “Make an example out of them, so this won’t be done again or something worse. Teach them while they are young so when they are older they think twice before doing something so careless.”