ORANGE, Texas — A pair of Southeast Texas men were sentenced to probation for vandalizing Little Cypress-Mauriceville High School's football stadium 2022.
Ryan Dee Bergeron, and Johnney Davis, who were both 18 when they vandalized the football field in October 2022, will serve five years of deferred felony probation after pleading guilty as part of a plea deal according to prosecutor, Bard Anderson.
The pair have also paid a total of $6,345 in restitution, Anderson told 12News on Friday after they were sentenced by Judge Courtney Arkeen in Orange County's 128th District Court.
If they successfully complete their probation they will not have a conviction on their record but if they do not they could face jail time.
"First and foremost the district was concerned about getting restitution so taxpayers didn't have to foot the bill, but also that they had felony probation to understand the severity of their actions," Anderson said.
The vandalism happened overnight on a Sunday when the pair defaced the middle logo, press box and away concession stand at Battlin' Bear Stadium.
Investigators with the Orange Sheriff’s Office began investigating and identified them the next day.
One of them confessed, according to a press release at the time from the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Investigators were also able to get a confession from the second suspect Tuesday evening, according to the release.
Vandalization at LC-M's Battlin' Bear Stadium in 2022
One was a student at LC-M at the time while the other was a Nederland student, but had previously been a student at LCM High School.
Officials believed the vandalism was committed in an attempt to stoke tensions and rivalry between LCM and Lumberton before their football game on Friday, October 28, according to the press release.
Both Bergeron and Davis were charged with criminal mischief, a third degree felony.
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