MANTEO, N.C. — A person has been charged with trespassing after entering Manteo Elementary School on Thursday, leaving many parents shaken and demanding answers.
“Our children were put in danger,” said Shelly Grissom, a school parent.
“I’m outraged, I’m angry, and I’m disappointed,” said Christie Baer, another parent.
Parents told News 3 they found out through a Thursday afternoon email from Dare County Schools that a stranger had been inside the building earlier in the day.
“We should not be scared for a child to go to school and get an education, but we fear it,” Grissom said.
“Both of my kids were at risk. Everyone’s children were at risk. It blows my mind that that could even happen,” said parent Kate Shelton.
The Dare County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that 37-year-old Illya Stepanenko was arrested Thursday and charged with trespassing. The district’s email to parents confirmed he had been inside the school at one point.
Investigators say Stepanenko was arrested at the Dare County Justice Center after school officials realized he had been inside the building.
A second email sent to families on Friday said Stepanenko entered through a side door and was inside the building for about 44 minutes. According to the district, he spent most of that time in two staff bathrooms. Law enforcement was called to the school, and officers conducted sweeps of the building.
The district also explained why the school was not placed on lockdown, saying multiple law enforcement officers were already on scene and Stepanenko had left the building before staff became aware he had entered.
“To my understanding, they had to go through video footage to figure out how long he was in the school for, and that’s a scary thing. He could have literally done anything,” Shelton said.
Dare County Schools said it already has several safety procedures in place but will review protocols following the incident. In Friday’s email, the district said it plans to:
- Review lockdown practices
- Review safety protocols
- Reinforce training and compliance
- Evaluate safety and security technology
- Conduct a staff badge audit
- Review the school safety plan
“We want to know what the plan is moving forward so that this does not happen again,” Baer said.
Parents say they are anxious about sending their children back to class.
“I’m worried about Monday. I’m worried about Tuesday. I’m worried until summer break. Unless I see a big change, I’ll be worried every single day now,” Shelton said.
The Dare County Sheriff’s Office told News 3 that Stepanenko is being held at the Dare County Detention Center on no bond.
The full email sent to Manteo Elementary School parents on Friday is below
Dear Manteo Elementary Families,
We want to reassure our school community that we are focused on safety, and we know that we are accountable for development and compliance with safety protocols. We deeply regret that some of our safety measures did not function as intended yesterday. We know how important it is that you entrust us with your children every day. We take this very seriously and are conducting a full review to identify any gaps and prevent similar incidents in the future.
To that end and based on some misinformation that has been released on social media, we have prepared this document to provide the information we have and can release right now on the incident. We are aware that our initial communication on this issue was relatively limited on specifics, in part because we were (and still are) gathering information about this incident and in part because there are legal confidentiality requirements that we are bound to honor. We appreciate your patience while we gathered and verified information.
At this point, slightly more than 24 hours since our initial communication about this incident, this is what we know and have done:
QUESTIONS:
Who knew what and when?
At approximately 11:18 a.m., it was reported to the school administration that a man was taking pictures of cars in the school parking lot. The School Resource Officer was immediately contacted, and she confronted the trespasser by 11:20 a.m. in the school parking lot. At that time, there was no indication that the trespasser had been in the school building. When confronted by the School Resource Officer, the trespasser presented his driver's license, and a picture of his driver's license and tag information were obtained. It was ultimately determined that the individual had made entry to the school. Additional law enforcement was brought in, and the incident was reported to District administration, who quickly reached out to Sheriff Doughtie. A review of school video footage was undertaken. At 2:32 p.m., school officials were alerted that the trespasser was apprehended, which we have since learned occurred at the Dare County Courthouse. Our information is that the trespasser was at the courthouse to deal with a prior charge of first degree burglary. The trespasser was arrested for trespassing. Before the trespasser was even processed by law enforcement, school officials notified staff of the issue and, shortly thereafter, families. Our latest information is that the trespasser remains in police custody.
Why did the school not lock down?
A lockdown was not initiated because multiple law enforcement officers were already on-site and the individual had left the building before administrators were notified that he had entered the building. If it had been reported while he was still inside, a lockdown would have immediately been called. Given the circumstances and information available to school officials and law enforcement, the school was not locked down or evacuated.
How did the trespasser enter the building?
The trespasser did not gain entry through the front door to the school. Instead, he gained entrance through a side door. Our information at this time is that the side door was neither propped open nor opened by any Manteo Elementary School employee. Any additional information on the trespasser's entrance through the side door is confidential personnel information which we are not at liberty to share. Please be assured that we are addressing this at the District level.
How long was the trespasser in the building?
The information we have indicates that the trespasser entered the building and went directly to a single-stall, staff bathroom which we believed remained locked while he was in it. He left that staff bathroom and went to another single-stall staff bathroom which we believe also remained locked while he was in it. Although it appears the trespasser was in the building for approximately 44 minutes, he spent 38 minutes locked in one of two bathrooms; he was in one part of one hallway for a total of 6 minutes.
Where was the trespasser in the building?
Our information at this time is that the trespasser's access in the building was limited to part of one hallway.
Do we know the trespasser's intent?
We have no way to know the trespasser's intent, but we do know during the Dare County Sheriff Office's search of the individual he had no weapons on his person. The school system also has information that he may have indicated that he was coming into the building to wash his hands and use the bathroom and that he did, in fact, go to a staff bathroom as soon as he entered the building.
What actions has the school system taken in the last 24 hours to address this incident?
The following actions have been taken to address the incident so far:
Substantial law enforcement involvement: Dare County Sheriff and District officials have been in steady communication. Yesterday afternoon, several additional law enforcement officers were at Manteo Elementary School. In addition, weapons and electronics detecting dogs were brought to Manteo Elementary School and law enforcement officers ensured that the school was safe for students to remain.
- Video footage reviewed: video footage from several different cameras at the school have been reviewed.
- Communication: While we are aware it was vague (as information was still being gathered), an initial communication was provided to the staff and families at MES.
- District leadership have been stationed at MES much of today to address parent questions.
- Parent concerns have been compiled into this updated communication.
- Law enforcement and District investigations into the incident are well underway.
- Manteo Elementary School administration has already begun an internal safety audit and is updating several practices and protocols.
- Dare County Schools has contacted an external law enforcement agency to conduct a security audit in the very near future.
What actions will the school system take in the near future to address this incident?
While our future actions will be guided by the information we are still gathering, we certainly are looking at the following potential actions:
- Review of lockdown practices.
- Review of safety protocols.
- Training to reinforce knowledge and the need for strict compliance with safety protocols.
- Review safety and security-related technology needs, placement, and functionality.
- Staff badge audit.
- Review of school safety plan.
While many safety measures are already in place, these systems require full compliance from everyone in our school community. All Dare County Schools are outfitted with a school resource officer, weapons detection systems at main entry points, security cameras throughout the property, and identification check-in systems at the front office. Each school has a school safety plan and protocols for various safety situations. Routine drills are held and reviewed after each drill. However, these protocols only work with full participation from the entire school community. Additional training will be provided to ensure we do not become complacent and to keep us vigilant about each step of the safety process. Each and every safety protocol we have will be reviewed as part of our response to this incident.
This work will require collaboration, and we appreciate everyone's partnership in protecting the most important part of our schools-our students and staff.
