A group of teenagers did not think twice when they broke into a Florida mansion, threw a massive party, then uploaded videos and photos onto social media. Now police are using the footage to identify the culprits.
"It really baffles the imagination, the stupidity involved," Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson told WEAR-TV. "These geniuses took their cellphones and videotaped everything and put it online."
Police were called to the $8 million mansion in Walton County on Saturday and found the aftermath of a massive party from the night before. Some items were stolen and the house was damaged.
Investigators discovered that flyers for the event had circulated a week prior, and they initially did not know the house had been broken into for the party.
Social media videos and photos from the event, which were made available by WJXT, show people boxing inside the home and going through the homeowners' personal items. One person posted a photograph of himself wearing jewelry found at the house.
"Their behavior is just so out of hand, they ought to be embarrassed," Adkinson said. "Some of it's clearly criminal."
The sheriff said they had already identified several individuals, some of who were scholarship athletes from schools in Walton and Okaloosa counties, who participated in the party.
"Let's quit making excuses for them," he said. "They'll come up here and accept their punishment like big boys and girls."
A number of parents, Adkinson said, have called the sheriff's office to take responsibility for their children's actions but other parents have not been cooperative.
"I've got no sympathy for those parents, quite honestly," Adkinson said. "Because they have no problem — they're making excuses for their child instead of taking responsibility."
No arrests have yet been made and investigators are currently determining who acted criminally and who just showed up to attend the party.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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