High School Student Caused More Than $690K In Damage To Hotel, Lawsuit Says

It was getting late, but the Landstown High School student wanted to make sure his uniform looked perfect.

The next morning, senior Cade Anderson would participate in a JROTC drill competition in Prince William county. As his roommate slept, he decided to hang his jacket on a sprinkler head in his hotel room and properly affix all of his ribbons and medals, an attorney said.

When he went to take it back down, the sprinkler activated — resulting in more than $690,000 in damage. "It’s a parent’s worst nightmare," attorney Rick Matthews said in an interview.

The hotel’s insurance company is suing Anderson and the Virginia Beach school system, claiming negligence on both of their parts.