Austin man jailed for vandalism at school

An Austin man has been identified as the suspect in an incident that left the Carpenter Hill Elementary School heavily damaged.

In the early morning hours of Aug. 10, the Hays County Sheriff’s Office reports, an unidentified male forcibly entered the school, located in the 4400 block of Farm to Market Road 967 in Buda, and caused extensive damage to the campus. 

The damage is estimated to be between $150,000 and $300,000. The sheriff’s office launched an investigation and was able to use surveillance footage from the school to identify James Michael Kerr, 25, of Austin as the suspect. Kerr, who was arrested Monday, faces two felony charges of criminal mischief, two felony charges of arson and one state jail felony charge of burglary of a building. 

The investigation is ongoing; investigators have not yet determined a motive or specific connection to the school. 

As of press time, no bonds have been set.