Motorist tears up Marie Murphy School’s new soccer fields

Wilmette police are investigating an act of vandalism that occurred Friday, Dec. 3, at Marie Murphy School.

According to a message from Avoca District 37, an unidentified subject drove a blue sedan through the soccer fields just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 3.

The motorist reportedly caused thousands of dollars in damage, Avoca 37 Superintendent Dr. Kaine Osburn said in the message.

“We are waiting for an estimate from our landscaper but our experience suggests it will be more than $5,000,” Osburn said in an email to The Record.

The district is asking the public’s help in identifying the driver and asked anyone with information to call Wilmette police officer Valerie Davis at (847) 251-2700.

“As painful as the damage to fields and the financial loss is the intentional harm that the vandal perpetrated upon our school and community,” Osburn wrote in his message to district parents.

The fields were installed in 2020 and replaced the district’s old administration building, which Osburn said was not utilized, at a cost of $1.5 million.

North Shore Country Day School and Sports Made Personal are the primary users of the fields, Osburn said.

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