SUFFOLK, Va. — The man accused of trapping two students in an elementary school bathroom last year has pleaded not guilty.
Votrail Thorpe pleaded not guilty to five felonies and one misdemeanor on Monday. The charges he is facing are listed below:
- Two counts of felony abduction
- One count of felony trespassing
- One count of felony possession of a Schedule I/II substance on school property
- One count of felony breaking and entering
- One count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct
His trial is set for September 17, 2025.
News 3 investigative team was the first to obtain surveillance video of Thorpe entering Kilby Shores Elementary School last summer.
On June 14, 2024, the last day of school, police say Thorpe slipped into the school while a teacher was monitoring students on the playground.
Surveillance video obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request shows teachers, the principal and other staff attempting to push the door open.
Thorpe barricaded himself in the bathroom with two students inside, police shared.
He did not harm the students or anyone else at the school.
Police eventually arrested him. He has been in custody ever since and at one point, was found incompetent to stand trial.
