DENHAM SPRINGS - Parents received a message this morning reading that some of their children's buses had been 'messed with;' officials say they were taken for overnight joyrides. 

South Fork Elementary in Livingston Parish saw a large police presence Monday morning as investigators found two buses damaged and a vehicle left in drive in a nearby field. 

The buses were mostly undamaged, with only a dinged door and low batteries as evidence to the joyrides. 

A bright orange car was also left in a patch of grass near the school, running and left in drive, with no suspects around.

The Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office later reported Abram Jones, 26, broke into the school campus by cutting the campus gate's lock. Jones allegedly broke into two buses, starting one of them and driving it into a light pole before fleeing the scene. 

Jones was arrested later Monday morning and charged with unauthorized entry, theft of a motor vehicle, hit and run, and other traffic-related violations. 

School was still in session Monday, and no danger to students was reported. 

The Livingston Parish School system released the below statement on behalf of the Sheriff’s Office:

On December 19, 2022, between 1:00a & 4:00a, a suspect drove up to the locked gates at Southfork Elementary in a Dodge Charger. The suspect cut the lock & drove onto school property. The suspect drove that Charger into the grassy area where the vehicle became stuck.

The suspect then walked to one nearby bus causing damage (~$1500.00 in damage). He then entered another bus & was able to start it & drive it into a light pole (~$6,000 in damage). The suspect then fled the scene. Thanks to law enforcement, school officials & citizens working together, that suspect was quickly identified & arrested.

Suspect: Abram R. Jones, 26, of Denham Springs, charged with Unauthorized Entry into a Place of Business, Simple Criminal Damage to Property, Theft of a Motor Vehicle (2 counts), Institutional Vandalism, Hit and Run. Jones is currently being processed into the Livingston Parish Detention Center. Visit LPSO.org for more Investigation ongoing.