KANSAS CITY, Mo. — UPDATE 3 PM 6/7/2018: The woman accused of entering Kauffman Stadium and allegedly setting fires on the field has been released after appearing in court in Jackson County Thursday.
The damage is apparently so minimal, it can’t be seen from the stands.
Royals spokesperson Toby Cook said a security officer found Bridget Depriest on the field with a flashlight around 4:30 a.m Wednesday.
"She popped up in several locations around the stadium including on the field, and then at some point took some debris of some type and lit some small fires out here in right field," Cook said.
The Royals organization believe she entered the stadium sometime overnight, though she claims she'd been there roaming the field and stadium since 8:00 a.m. Tuesday.
"We haven't been able to determine the very first time some camera saw her in the stadium. Right now what I'm being told is that the only time that she is showing up on a security camera, it's dark," Cook said.
Depriest told the security officer she had what appeared to be trash and a bag on the field, and he told her to go get it and leave.
After putting the items in the bag, she left them by the south-side dugout and began to walk out.
Police canvased the area and found the woman outside the stadium on the southeast side.
Depriest was taken into custody, booked and cited for trespassing and openly burning resulting in property damage.
The Royals will press charges, but first they need to figure out how and where she got in. They're going over the surveillance footage to find out.
Cook said there could be a possibility she jumped the fence. The only time someone would have access to an open gate when they are not open for a game is when vendors come in and out, but Cook said staff is always there.
"Good news for us is that there was minimal to almost no damage. Obviously, the concerning news is that someone was in the stadium that wasn't supposed to be here," Cook said.
The Royals have ample security during games and 24-hour security when the team is gone, but it's during those down times that the Royals will have to take a look at whether their security is enough.
