SPRING HILL, Fla. — The Hernando County Sheriff's Office arrested a teen accused of breaking into an elementary school back in August in Spring Hill.
On Aug. 6, deputies were sent out to Suncoast Elementary School for an active fire alarm. But once they arrived on the scene, there was no sign of a fire, the agency explains in a news release.
After looking around more, law enforcement learned a fire extinguisher had been set off in one of the school buildings which reportedly triggered the fire alarm.
"Upon investigation, an exterior door was discovered to have been wedged open by an object having been placed between the door and frame," the sheriff's office explains in the release.
Footage from the school's security camera shows a man wearing no shirt, red shorts, white high-top sneakers and black gloves carrying a black backpack walking down the hallways.
According to deputies, the man was seen taking a fire extinguisher from its case and walking toward the first floor before spraying it. He then placed the fire extinguisher at the bottom of the stairwell and left the school.
Almost two months later, the man seen on camera was positively identified by a family member as 18-year-old Dustin Seale.
The teen, who was 17 at the time of the crime, was arrested on his birthday and transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
The sheriff's office is asking anyone with information on this incident to contact Hernando County Crime Stoppers at 1-866-990-8477 or **TIPS from a phone. People can remain anonymous and also be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
