Stranger filming in elementary school bathroom grabs student, Arizona district says
A man sneaked into an elementary school bathroom and was caught filming inside it, then grabbed a student, police and the school district said.
The incident happened March 24 at about 1 p.m. at the Clarkdale-Jerome School, the Clarkdale Police Department said in a Facebook post.
A group of fifth-grade girls were on recess when they “entered an exterior bathroom at the back end of the school,” Clarkdale-Jerome School District Superintendent Dr. Matt Schumacher said in a message to families.
They discovered a man was inside, and he was using his cellphone to record, Schumacher said.
He then grabbed one of the students, but she “escaped his grasp,” he said. A teacher called 911, and school workers followed after him.
However, he ran to the upper softball field and climbed over a fence, which was the same way he got onto the school property, Schumacher said.
Multiple police agencies rushed to the school and used police dogs and drones to look for him, he said.
The man was arrested at about 9:30 p.m. that day, police and the school district said. Charges are pending.
“School staff followed all safety protocols and no students were harmed during the incident,” Schumacher said in an email to McClatchy News.
Clarkdale is about a 20-mile drive southwest from Sedona.
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Stranger filming in elementary school bathroom grabs student, Arizona district says."
