(a) Whoever willfully and without lawful authority defaces, damages, destroys or otherwise injures, in any way, any property, real or personal, of the Government of the Virgin Islands on the premises or grounds of a public school shall be fined not less than $5,000 nor more than $10,000, plus the actual costs of repairing the damages; and be imprisoned for a mandatory minimum term of five years. Notwithstanding any other provision of law with respect to any person sixteen years of age or over who is found to have violated this section, adjudication of guilt or imposition of sentence shall not be suspended, deferred, or withheld, nor shall such person be eligible for parole prior to serving the mandatory minimum term of imprisonment prescribed by this section. The court may provide at the time of sentencing of any person convicted under this subsection that such person shall, if granted a work release assignment during his confinement, perform manual labor on the premises vandalized.
(b) In cases where a person under 16 years of age is found to have violated this section, the sentencing court may, in addition to such other disposition as it may order, require the violator to perform manual labor on the premises vandalized, which labor may include grasscutting, painting, litter gathering, janitorial and other duties, for such period of time as the court deems appropriate.
(c) The fines and costs charged and collected in accordance with subsection (a) of this section must be deposited into an imprest account of the school vandalized and must be used to defray the costs associated with the damages that occurred and for any other school-related damage.
(d) The parents, guardians, or other persons having legal custody of a person younger than 18 years of age who is found to have violated this section shall be responsible for the fine imposed under subsection (a).