MANTEO, N.C. — The man who was charged with trespassing at Manteo Elementary School in November has now been released from jail. This comes after 37-year-old Illya Stepanenko pleaded guilty to two charges: the trespassing and a misdemeanor breaking and entering in Kitty Hawk in October.
On Nov. 13, Illya Stepanenko, who's from Canada, was arrested and charged with trespassing at Manteo Elementary School after spending around 45 minutes inside the school, the majority of it in two staff bathrooms and a short time in a school hallway.
The incident led to outrage from many parents News 3 spoke with at the time and immediate changes to school safety announced by Dare County Schools Superintendent Steve Basnight in a meeting about two weeks after the incident.
Dare County District Attorney Jeff Cruden explained to News 3 what his office has been able to uncover about Stepanenko's actions that day.
"The reason the defendant entered the school grounds in the first place was he saw the patrol car and in Canada where he's from they don't have SRO's so he came to assist law enforcement. From all indications his religious beliefs are that the more service you do by cleaning, the closer you get to his deity. So in addition to picking up trash in the school yard, he entered the school and cleaned two bathrooms. We had a slight delay in court when he pled guilty, because he was cleaning the bathroom in the jail cell."
For more than 60 days, Stepanenko was in jail at the Dare County Detention Center. Last week, Stepanenko pleaded guilty to the trespassing charge and a previous charge of breaking and entering in Kitty Hawk in October. That charge was initially first-degree burglary but was changed.
Cruden explained why the charge was downgraded in Kitty Hawk.
"We reduced the 1st burglary to misdemeanor breaking and entering since when you break into someone's house, there's a presumption they are there to commit a larceny, but once he entered the school, and from all indication, entered it to clean, that raised doubt about what his intent was when he entered the home. The home owner understood and was in agreement with the disposition."
The two charges combined for a sentence of 75 days in jail, with 15 days of it stayed by the court and ordered for him to stay off the property of all Dare County Schools and have no contact with staff and students. Since Stepanenko has been in jail since Nov. 13, he was credited with the 60 days of time served and released.
One parent told News 3 that she is in disbelief that Stepanenko has been released.
But Cruden explained to News 3 that Stepanenko had no prior record, meaning the maximum sentence for the breaking and entering is 45 days and the trespassing is 30 days. With the 15 days taken off, Stepanenko was credited with the full time served and released.
