Danville snow adventure spoiled by trespassing citations

After last weekend’s big snowstorm, David Rodgers, of Danville, took his children sledding on one of Danville’s most popular hills — the one next to Woodberry Hills Elementary.

Rodgers said they were there during the day, and left at about 6 p.m. Sunday. But he said he was surprised to learn a group of young people were arrested for trespassing on the school property later that night.

“I would like to know what Danville is coming to that when families try to go out and have a good time with the kids, they have to worry about getting a trespassing ticket,” Rodgers e-mailed to the Register & Bee on Tuesday. “When I grew up in this town and it snowed, everyone I know went to Woodberry School to go sledding and have a good time.”

Rodgers said he remembers the Parks and Recreation department putting out fire drums and handing out hot chocolate on nights when snow fell.

“Now the police are writing tickets instead,” Rodgers said.

The police, however, said the scene they saw shortly after 10 p.m. Sunday night was not a family sledding outing.

Capt. Matt Carter said officers responded to a call reporting vehicles doing doughnuts on the hill, and arrived to find trash and beer cans on the grounds and the school’s windowsills, sleds and vehicle tracks in the snow.

“It was a mess up there,” Carter said.

The incident report notes that several people fled when the officers arrived.

The officers detained 14 people, who ranged in age from 18 to 22, but because “officers could not determine who possessed the beer, left the trash or drove recklessly on the property, the decision was made to charge the 14 adults with trespassing on school grounds after dark.

“All of them were released on a summons and told to leave the property,” the report said.

Virginia law includes a section about trespassing on church or school property (Sec. 18.2-128), which is also part of Danville’s City Code. It says anyone on church or school property at night, without permission and for any reason other than to attend a scheduled meeting or service, can be charged with trespassing.

The school also has signs posted near the front doors, about 200 feet from the hill, that say trespassing is prohibited.

Rodgers said the beer cans were there earlier in the day, when he was there with his family — and said that location has always been a popular place for people to congregate and have some beers.

“People always did like to have a drink up there,” he admitted. “But they’re running people off that are trying to have a good time; the person I talked to said they were just up there sledding.”

Rodgers is sorry a tradition is dying, he said.

“I want to keep the tradition of carrying kids up there for a good time,” Rodgers said. “Please don’t take away some of the good things kids have now.”

Taking kids to the hill for some daytime sledding is fine, Carter said — but if the police get a disturbance call after dark, they have to respond and enforce the trespassing law, he said.