A 22-year-old Oak Harbor man is facing a felony charge for taking a joyride through a North Whidbey Middle School field, causing thousands of dollars worth of damage last December, according to court documents.

Prosecutors charged Daniel Rigley, Jr. in Island County Superior Court March 19 with first-degee malicious mischief. Rigley pleaded not guilty April 2.

According to the police report, Rigley and another man were driving their boss’s van to the store at night to get some beer. On the way back, Rigley drove onto the playing field under construction and did “donuts,” which is a circular maneuver that rips up the ground, the report states.

The van got stuck in the soft sand of the unfinished field, the report states, and the police caught the two men. A tow truck called to pull the van out also got stuck in the field, causing even more damage. A couple of other tow trucks were unable to pull the vehicles off the field.

Eventually, the contractor was able to remove the vehicle.

According to a police report, the van caused $5,800 worth of damage to the school field, while the tow truck caused an additional $2,000 in damages.

You can reach News-Times reporter Jessie Stensland at jstensland@whidbeynewstimes.com or call 675-6611.