Players in Turkey Bowl Graffiti Case Make Restitution

What started with cans of blue spray paint, five teens and the urge to amp up a long-held sports rivalry with property destruction has now prompted a series of payments to the New Canaan school district.

Restitution has begun rolling in from the  students who  parts of New Canaan High School's exterior and Dunning Field in the Blue Wave's royal blue colors prior to last November’s  the ' annual head-to-head football game.

The students — four 17-year-olds and one 15-year-old — were players for Darien's football team at the time of the incident. All were granted anonymity by the courts.

Stamford attorney Mark Sherman, who is representing the 15-year-old and one 17-year-old, said Friday his clients had made their payments. 

"It was a priority for us to make the town whole," he said. The students are paying for the cost of painting over the vandalism, estimated to be $7,500 or $1,500 each. 

The New Canaan school board pressed charges after the incident, and the students turned themselves in. 

The four 17-year-olds were charged with youthful offender by way of first-degree criminal mischief, youthful offender by way of first-degree conspiracy to commit criminal mischief and youthful offender by way of loitering in or about school grounds. 

The 15-year-old was charged with first-degree criminal mischief, first-degree conspiracy to commit criminal mischief and loitering in or about school grounds. One of the youths was also charged with violation of passenger restriction and violation of curfew restriction since he drove the other students on the morning the incident took place, officials say.

Sherman would not comment on the status of the court cases, because one of his clients has  juvenile offender and the other youthful offender status. 

"This was a serious case," Sherman said, "so it was expected we'd have to deal with the town of New Canaan, the courts and the school board."

Prior to kickoff on the Nov. 25 game day, Darien's captains apologized to fans for the behavior of a few. 

New Canaan went on to beat the county champs 42-14.