By TERRY CORCORAN
tcorcora@lohud.com
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: April 28, 2006)

KENT — Maybe the 17-year-old Carmel High School student charged with deflating the tires on dozens of school buses this week thought it was a clever prank.

But neither police nor school officials were laughing after the vandalism forced schools in the Carmel district to open late Tuesday, inconveniencing parents, students and others.

Michael D. Unger of Kent was charged with first-degree tampering and third-degree criminal mischief, both felonies, and third-degree criminal trespass, a misdemeanor, in connection with the damage done to about half of the district's bus fleet, police said yesterday.

The boy was arrested Wednesday.

It's alleged that Unger sneaked into the bus yard at Route 52 and Farmers Mills Road in Kent late Monday or early Tuesday and removed the cores from the valve stems on at least one tire on each of 42 school buses.

Unger had recently been suspended from Carmel High School, but police said they weren't sure what motivated the vandalism.

Superintendent Marilyn Terranova would not say if Unger will face additional sanctions in school.

"He may," she said, when reached yesterday.

But Terranova said the crime likely would cost district taxpayers thousands of dollars.

"I'm trying to verify the actual amount, but we think it's around $20,000," she said.

That figure includes paying school bus drivers to sit around the bus yard for two hours Tuesday while the flats were being fixed and paying extra mechanics to do the repairs.

The vandalism wasn't discovered until 6 a.m. Tuesday, when drivers went to start the buses.

It caused a two-hour delay in classes and forced school transportation officials to call in several mechanics on overtime to fix the flats.

The buses had to be put on lifts to repair the tires.

Unger is represented by Nyack lawyer Richard Moran, a former assistant district attorney for Rockland County.

Reached by phone yesterday, Moran declined to talk specifically about the charges against his client but did talk about him.

"He's a good kid who comes from a good family. He's looking to go to college and make a good man of himself," Moran said. "We're conducting an investigation into the allegations."

Lt. Alex DiVernieri said the case remains under investigation by Detective Gerald Locascio, Sgt. Jerry Ranieri, among others.

Unger appeared Wednesday in Town Court before Justice Peter Collins, who released him without bail and ordered him to return to court June 6.