COVINGTON, Tenn. — People in Covington who depend on the Boys and Girls Club are shaken by a weekend crash that closed part of the facility.

Covington Police charged 18-year-old Chyleia Sanford of Brownsville with numerous felonies after she lost control of her vehicle while reportedly “cutting donuts” on the club’s parking lot on Saturday.

The huge hole caused by the crash is covered with plywood, but inside a classroom on the other side of the wall, the vehicle’s impact left broken concrete blocks, pencils and teaching materials tossed about, and a heavy teacher’s desk relocated across the room.

Fortunately, the incident happened when there was no one inside the classroom or at the club but nearby witnesses saw Sanford’s car crash and pointed her out to police.

Felisha Mason, CEO for the Boys and Girls Club of the Hatchie River Region in Covington, Tennessee, is still in shock by what happened Saturday.

“I received a call that a car had ran through our club and I was like, ‘Whoa,'” Mason said. “We work so hard to provide resources for our children and for our youth and then something like this happen, it truly hurts.”

Club leadership wants the community to be assured safety is a high priority

“We have police that come through. We have neighborhood watch that looks over the community, so it is still a safe place for kids to be,” said David Bennett, board president of the Boys and Girls Club of the Hatchie River Region.

Chyleia Sanford was not serious injured and two juvenile passengers with Sanford will not face charges. Sanford is free on a $5,000 bond awaiting a Tipton County Generals Sessions Court appearance later this month.

The Boys and Girls Club of the Hatchie River Region is accepting donations to help with re-building. You can donate by going to their website or by mailing a check to P.O. Box 384, Covington, TN 38109.