Police

Senior prank docks boat at Southold High School

TIM GANNON PHOTO | The boat used in a senior prank at Southold High School last week.
TIM GANNON PHOTO | The boat used in a senior prank at Southold High School last week.

A senior prank caught the attention of police this week after five Southold High School students were accused of dumping a boat at the entrance of the school, according to a police report.

The 18-foot Columbia boat was found on the first day of school last Monday, spray painted with the words “Seniors 2014,” the report said. The pranksters also painted the words “S.S. Galati” on the boat, naming it after the school’s principal, William Galati, police said.

The police believe it was the work of five teens, who were previously given the boat by a Peconic man who had been advertising that the boat was available free of charge, the report states. The boat had been visible for weeks on the man’s Main Road property.

The report indicated that Mr. Galati expressed an interest in pressing charges against the students, but police chief Martin Flatley said Tuesday that the school is instead looking to handle the matter “on administrative terms.”

“No arrests were made,” he said.

Superintendent David Gamberg declined comment on any disciplinary actions the district may have taken.

The boat was towed to the town dump at the expense of the school district, the police report said.

The prank follows in a tradition of senior pranks at Southold High School, which often involve a boat. The Class of 2006 hoisted a boat to the ceiling of the school gymnasium. The Class of 2010 made headlines when they took apart a car and rebuilt it inside the school library.