Doing 'doughnuts' leads to arrest as cops follow mud trail

Doing "doughnuts" in your car can sure be a lot of fun. Doing them in the middle of a high school playing field, tearing it up in the process, can lead to a felony arrest.

Three young men are accused of using two vehicles to make doughnuts on the Hylton High School soccer field in Woodbridge on Tuesday night, causing more than $1,000 in damage. Area playing fields were already threatened by all the melting snow; the resulting tire tracks and mud ruts certainly won't help.

Though the men were spotted as they drove on the field, by the time police got to Spriggs Road, the suspects had already fled. Their escape, however, wasn't particularly sly. Alert Prince William County police officers noticed "large amounts of mud on the roadway and followed the trail," according to Officer Erika Hernandez, a police spokeswoman.

The trail led right to Charlton Court in Dale City, where police found two vehicles covered in mud. Before long, police had three men in custody, all charged with felony destruction of property and trespassing on school property at night.

Police arrested Justin William Hass, 20, of Mason Neck; Nicholas Michael Ledbetter, 19, of Woodbridge; and Ryan Lamar hunt, 20, of Spencerville, Ohio. They all have a scheduled court date of April 20.

-- Josh White