A stranger danger incident at Washington Middle School ended with the arrest of a 26-year-old man.
It happened Monday morning, near the girls locker room. A shirtless man reportedly approached a female student and touched her neck before taking off on a skateboard.
“My first report came from a teacher that saw him in the parking lot. As soon as we hear that noise, we get our walkies, we call our security,” said principal Michael Harano. “Because we had alerted people, adults were converging on the area. As soon as he saw, he took off.”
Harano says the girl was distraught, and her parent agreed to press charges. Police were able to find the suspect, and he was arrested for harassment shortly after he left campus.
Harano says the man may have only been arrested for trespassing if the student’s parent was unwilling to press charges.
“People think the school in this case can press charges, but we can’t without a victim,” Harano explained. “Because this parent was willing to step forward, it really helps the police especially, but also the school to keep their campuses safe.”
The man has not been charged.
Harano urges parents to continue reminding their kids to stay away from strangers, use the buddy system, and report any suspicious activity to an adult.
“Help us out. Call us up and notify us if they see something out of place,” he said. “Because the more people we have involved supporting the schools, the better it’s going to be for the students and education on the campus.”
