CHIPPEWA COUNTY, Mich. (WWJ) - Upper Peninsula authorities say a group of four juveniles caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage to a community center on a tribal reservation last month.
The Bay Mills Police in Chippewa County said over the weekend that an extensive police investigation led them to the four children, ages 8 to 13-years-old, after the Bay Mills Cultural Center off Tower Road was vandalized on Aug. 22.
It is estimated the children inflicted over $20,000 in damages on the building after authorities say the juveniles broke a window in the back of the center and trashed the inside of the property which sits on Bay Mills Indian Community (BMIC), a Native American reservation for the Sault Ste. Marie bands of Chippewa.
According to the BMIC website, the largest part of the reservation resides in Chippewa County, Michigan, about 15 miles southwest of Sault Ste. Marie.
The Bay Mills Cultural Center is used to host funerals, weddings and other tribal ceremonies, police said.
Bay Mills Police Chief Ron Carrick said the juveniles will be prosecuted in tribal court which is seeking community service as a part of the children's sentence, along with other restitution services.
"Presently, the Culture Center is closed until repairs are complete, which will be done over the next several weeks," Carrick said in a prepared statement on social media.
The community center must pay out of pocket for the destruction due to the tribe's insurance deducible, officials added.
Carrick said that the center is currently waiting on materials to finish the repairs, but once they are complete, they plan to host a reopening celebration with a community feast.
Carrick thanked the officers working the case, along with residents and the parents of the accused juveniles for their help in solving the case.