He took a wild ride inside a Keys school after busting through the gates, police say

A Florida Keys man was jailed after police said he used his 2001 Jeep Wrangler to ram through gates at an Upper Keys high school, leaving about $5,500 in damage.

Wyatt Ellis Cadwell, 23, of Islamorada, was caught on security camera video at Coral Shores High School in the middle of the night taking a wild ride around the campus, according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

The Jeep was first seen on video at the school at 11:56 p.m. Sept. 13, and by about 1 a.m. was driving through the courtyard of the school, police said.

Cadwell was arrested Monday on two felony charges of criminal property damage, a misdemeanor charge of criminal property damage and a misdemeanor charge of trespassing on school grounds.

“Cadwell did not provide a motive for the offenses when he was arrested,” said sheriff’s office spokeswoman Adam Linhardt.

He was released from the Plantation Key jail on Tuesday after posting a $16,000 bond.

School officials found the damage on Sept. 14, the day that the Monroe County School District fully reopened to students who wanted to return to the classroom.

At the main gate in front of the school, two iron doors were on the ground, having been broken off at the hinges.

A second gate, at the north side of the school near the gym, had been damaged but was still intact.

Late Sept. 13, a dark-colored Jeep is seen on school video driving on Wrenn Street and onto school property, according to the police report. At about 12:03 a.m., the Jeep is seen driving onto the front sidewalk of the school, past the front office and into the gate.

“The Jeep then backs up and drives forward again, striking the gate,” the report states. “The Jeep strikes the front gate four more times and leaves.”

By 12:51 a.m. Sept. 14, the Jeep is seen again on video driving through the courtyard and once again at 1:07 a.m.

Deputies used the Jeep’s license plate number to identify Caldwell as the suspect. Also, they said they saw photos of the same Jeep Wrangler on Cadwell’s social media pages.

One deputy recognized Cadwell as an employee of a Key Largo watersports company.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.