LeRoy, N.Y. --- Police tell 13WHAM News that a group of parents found three large metal spikes in the sand at the base of a playground slide Tuesday afternoon.
LeRoy Police Detective John Condidorio said two of the spikes were pointed upward and partially buried in the sand while another was on its side.
"We believe definitely that these were placed deliberately," Det. Condidorio said. "Whether it was a bad practical joke or something more we're just not sure right now."
The parents located the spikes in the Wildwood Park Playground on Munson Street Extension when they took their children there to play on Tuesday, and police became aware of the discovery on Wednesday. The spikes are described as being four-inch long spikes with a sharp tip and wide, round base. (see photo provided by LeRoy Police Department)
"That's unbelievable, why would somebody do that? Words are unspeakable," Katie Leach, a LeRoy mother who visits that park often said. "People are just stupid, why put something in a little kid's park that you know they're going to get hurt on."
"Obviously they don't have children or else they wouldn't have done it because who wants to hurt a child on purpose?" Katelyn Wheatley said.
Parents carefully scanned the area to ensure no other dangerous objects were evident. Police took extra precautions by teaming up with Village of LeRoy DPW to scan that playground and all others in the village with metal detectors.
No other spikes or dangerous objects were found and nobody was hurt.
"I was there (at the park) yesterday when the police where there," said Mary Adams who is a childcare provider in the Village of LeRoy. "To me that's intentional, it wasn't just put around the park it was put at the end of the slide and a child would go down the end of a slide, that would be intentional."
"It's a crime of reckless endangerment," Det. Condidorio said of potential criminal charges. "You can't put large metal spikes at the end of children's slides without running the risk of children getting injured, absolutely that's a criminal offense."
Det. Condidorio said anyone with information that could help police locate the person responsible is asked to call LeRoy Police at 585-345-6250
