Hospital delays opening after vandals sledgehammer holes into walls

An Ohio hospital has delayed opening its doors after vandals caused "a lot of damage" to the building, including smashing holes into walls with a sledgehammer.

The new Trinity Health System hospital in St. Clairsville was in the final stage of construction when police say an unknown number of intruders entered the site and wreaked havoc.

“There’s going to have to be a lot of drywall replaced, a lot of tile replaced, copper plumbing that was already pressurized, and whole sections will have to be replaced,” St. Clairsville Police Chief Matt Arbenz told the Times Leader. “They picked up a sledgehammer and knocked holes in drywall, broke tiles, beat on copper pipes and just did a lot of damage.”

The lack of tire tracks at the scene led police to believe the perpetrators entered the hospital on foot, possibly coming from a wooded area behind the site. Despite expensive equipment in and around the building, Arbenz said nothing was reported stolen.

The suspects have yet to be identified, but police told reporters they suspect the crime was committed by juveniles. At this time, police do not believe the property destruction was an inside job.

“I talked to the managers on the job site, and there’s no suspicion of disgruntled employees… Everybody [who] started the work there still works there and is happy,” Arbenz added. “Nobody’s been fired or shorted of pay.”

The exact time the incident occurred remains unknown; however, the damage was discovered when McCarthy Building Co. employees arrived at the location on Monday morning.

Police said they are currently reviewing security footage from nearby businesses to learn more.

For now, it seems residents of Belmont County will have to wait for the new hospital to open, as repairs will take an unspecified amount of time.

For more, read the full story from the Times Leader at the link below.