A teenager who wanted to smoke pot with his pals admitted to authorities Monday that a cardboard box he lit accidentally set a gym and community center on fire at Loma Prieta Elementary School, cancelling classes for the day.
“The 17-year-old teen from Los Gatos admitted to the incident and his mother brought him to the Los Gatos Police Department,” Santa Cruz County sheriff’s Lt. Kelly Kent told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Kent said the teen went to the school Sunday night to smoke marijuana with friends. No one had any marijuana, and they lit a cardboard box to stay warm, Kent said.
Before they left, the teen placed the smoldering box in a trash can where it caught fire and spread to the school’s gym, community center and the Sheriff’s Office service center, Kent said.
Kent said the teen was not formally arrested Monday afternoon. His name was not released because he is a minor. The case will be sent to the Santa Cruz County District Attorney’s Office for possible charges, Kent said.
