Students Release 72,000 Ladybugs in School for Senior Prank

Some pests set 72,000 ladybugs loose throughout a Maryland high school as part of a senior prank, the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

Five suspects wearing masks and hooded sweatshirts broke into Chopticon High School in Morganza, Md., at 3:40 a.m. Wednesday and released ladybugs purchased online in the hallways, while two waited in a car, authorities say.

Four suspects have been charged with burglary, property destruction and disruption of school activities, while the other three have been charged by criminal summons.

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.

Please enter a valid email address.

* The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again.

Sign Up Now

An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later.

Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME.

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you!

For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Olivia B. Waxman at olivia.waxman@time.com.