It looked like snow outside the Tallassee Police Department Thursday night into Friday morning.
But it wasn’t the weather causing whiteout conditions — it was toilet paper and the Tallassee Police Department has a good lead on who did it — the Tallassee High School Class of 2024.
School resource officer Lt. Brian Clayton caught the seniors in the act but couldn’t make an arrest.
“I had just pulled up to the department,” Clayton said. “Three trucks rolled up. There were so many of them. They had to be 20 deep in each truck.”
Clayton said he made it in the department and started to record the scene from the second floor of the Tallassee Police Department.
“They were in front and along the side,” Clayton said. “They even got the inside of my truck.”
Tallassee Police Chief Todd Buce took to social media congratulating the crew.
“A huge ‘Thank You’ to the senior class of 2024,” Buce wrote. “You took the time out of your day to remind your favorite geriatric SRO officer how much he is loved. Congratulations for rolling the building he spends a lot of time in.”
Clayton has been in the role of SRO for nine years.
“But he has at least 11 before he graduates,” Buce said.
Clayton was out Friday morning cleaning up the department. He brought along his family.
“She might have been involved,” Clayton said of his daughter. “I couldn’t get an answer out of her.”
The students were also responsible for rolling King Street at the school. Reports have the senior class rolling trees near the Tallassee Parks and Recreation Department and trees near J.E. ‘Hot’ O’Brien Stadium.
Everyone’s favorite teacher, coach John Mask, was a target too.
“They got me twice,” Mask said. “They called me and let me know they were coming. They wanted me to put up my dogs so they wouldn’t get bit.”
Tallassee High School principal Drew Glass said seniors have pretty much spent every waking moment at his house between Sunday and Friday morning.
“My house has been hit 16 times,” Glass said before the parade started. “It was six times just Tuesday night.”
Both Glass and Mask said the students still have a little to learn to get better use of the toilet paper they spent hard earned money on just to waste in someone’s yard.
“I found 16 rolls where they didn’t throw it the second or third time,” Mask said. “I won’t have to buy any for a few weeks.”
Glass found 49 mostly full rolls of toilet paper in his yard and credits the lost toilet paper to a clown costume.
“I think there were 18 full rolls,” Glass said. “I think in that regard the clown was successful in defending the yard. We haven’t cleaned it up yet. We might wait until Saturday or Sunday.”
Cliff Williams is the news editor of The Tallassee Tribune.
