Two Florida middle schoolers are facing serious juvenile charges after deputies say their own mothers identified them as the suspects behind more than $50,000 in damage to a school library.
According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, the boys—ages 12 and 13—first wandered onto the Friendship Elementary School campus in Deltona during the day on September 13, then slipped back onto the property later that night. Investigators allege the pair ransacked the media center: books tossed across the floor, furniture upended, and graffiti scrawled on doors and surfaces. Deputies responding to a triggered fire alarm found a shattered glass entry and a library in ruins.
Body-camera clips released on social media show the chaotic aftermath inside the media center, while still photos capture scattered stacks, broken fixtures, and widespread damage. Surveillance images circulated by the sheriff’s office appear to show two masked youths entering the library; one wore a Monster Energy cap.
Tips poured in once the footage was posted online, but the key calls came from the boys’ mothers, who recognized their children and contacted authorities. In a September 15 update, the sheriff’s office stated that the youths—identified as 12-year-old Felix Cohen Romero and 13-year-old Bentley Ryan Wehrly—confessed. Investigators say the pair entered the school during daytime hours, then returned after dark “to look at the damage and cause more,” with total losses to the media center estimated at $50,000 or higher.
Each teen now faces multiple counts, including two charges of burglary, two counts of trespassing on school grounds, criminal mischief, and theft. Officials have not indicated how the case will proceed in juvenile court, but the scope of the damage suggests potentially significant consequences.
Online reaction has focused as much on the mothers’ decision as on the vandalism itself. Many commenters applauded the parents for doing something difficult but, in their view, necessary—calling it an act of accountability that could help redirect the boys before worse choices follow. Others expressed concern about the long-term impact of a juvenile record at such a young age, even while agreeing that there should be consequences.
Plenty of readers also argued for restorative steps. Suggestions ranged from supervised clean-up and reshelving to daily repair duties in the media center, public apologies, and other service-oriented penalties aimed at pairing accountability with learning.
Beyond the criminal counts, the episode has brought intense scrutiny to the two pre-teens and renewed debate about where responsibility begins—at home, at school, or somewhere in between. The mothers’ decision to come forward is being held up as an example of tough parenting in a moment when the easier choice might have been to stay silent.
What would you do in their place? If you discovered your child had taken part in something like this, would you call the authorities—or try to handle it privately with the school? Share your thoughts and keep the conversation going.
