NORMAL - Six Normal Community West High School students who apparently went hog-wild with a school prank were suspended from school Monday and may face criminal charges. | DATABASE: Search school crime reports

Smeared with red-colored farm equipment grease, the pigs were released about 2 a.m. Friday into the Normal Community West High School auditorium, said Unit 5 Superintendent Gary Niehaus.

While confined to the auditorium, the pigs damaged carpeting, stage curtains and other fabric, Niehaus said.

"Obviously, the pigs were in a state of panic; they began to squeal," Niehaus said.

A night custodian heard the racket and discovered the pigs. Other custodians pitched in to help, and the situation was taken care of by 4:30 a.m., Niehaus said.

Day custodians came in early to help with cleanup so school could start Friday without interruption.

The prank may seem funny to some, but Niehaus and police officers who were called in weren't amused.

"I don't want to put up with senior pranks for the next two weeks," Niehaus. "It costs time, effort and otherwise."

The pigs were returned to a pig farm from which they were taken, the superintendent said.

Police got a call from a custodian who noticed a truck parked by the school, and police found suspects leaving the building, said Normal Police Chief Kent Crutcher.

The chief said a police report was forwarded to the McLean County state's attorney's office for screening for possible charges. No formal charges were filed as of Monday.

Five of the males involved are 18 and one is 17.

Crutcher said the animals were not little but "small enough that one kid could carry one."

It hadn't been decided as of Monday whether the students will be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies, Niehaus said. Interviews with students and parents are ongoing.

Niehaus said students were suspended for 10 school days, which essentially is the rest of the school year, Niehaus said. They will be able to make up schoolwork, and he assumed that will include final exams.

The superintendent said he believes all the seniors involved probably will earn their diplomas at the May 30 graduation ceremony.

Niehaus said there was no exact damage estimate, but staff members worked overtime and extra help had to be called in to help.