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- Mar 16, 2012
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A grounded flight school student who vandalized multiple planes in Stuart will be held on no bond, deputies say.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said the incident took place at Treasure Coast Flight School located at Witham Field Airport.
The sheriff's office said that 23-year-old Sumebh Singh, a student from India, became angry after school instructors would not allow him to take a solo flight.
Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said if his actions were not caught on camera, something terrible could've happened.
"Some of the damage they think he may have done and would maybe not have been detected, until they were airborne, would’ve impacted their ability to land," Snyder said.
School officials say they saw Singh on video going from plane to plane causing damage to each of the aircraft, leading them to call the sheriff's office.Items such as a plane’s throttle were damaged.
The sheriff's office says 10 aircrafts were damaged. The owner of the company estimated the cost of the damages totaling $1,200 each or a total of $12,000.
Mechanics say planes are grounded until they can determine the extent of the damage to each plane.
"They grounded the entire fleet, the whole operation is shut down because of what he’s done,"Snyder said.
Singh was arrested at Witham Field Airport and charged with felony criminal mischief. Additional charges are possible, the sheriff's office says.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is on the way here. They’re going to work closely with our detectives on this case," Snyder said.
According to the arrest report, Singh is being held without bond since he is in America on a work visa with a passport from India. Also, Singh has knowledge of flying and easy access of planes and possibly fleeing the country.