Parents demand answers after man accesses North Texas high school, allegedly assaults ex-girlfriend
MESQUITE – Parents are demanding answers after police say a 19-year-old man accessed Horn High School, threatened his ex-girlfriend with a knife and sexually assaulted her in a bathroom during the school day on Tuesday.
According to Mesquite police, Synniaz Elijah was let into the building with the help of a current student.
"There are a lot of parents who want answers because it could have easily been any one of our kids," said De'von Thompson, whose brother is a freshman at the high school. He is among many frustrated family members who were shocked to learn about the assault from the district the day after it happened.
"It just does not make sense, and it doesn't sit right with me," Thompson said.
Elijah, who was not a student at the high school, faces a charge of aggravated sexual assault of a child.
Lt. Michael Kelly with the Mesquite Police Department said he believes a student knew Elijah and used one of the doors that was not a main access point.
"This is a unique case. It's very out of the norm," Kelly told CBS News Texas. "That's a critical piece in this occurring. The students themselves are as much a responsibility in joining with us and with the school district in helping to protect them."
According to the arrest affidavit obtained by CBS News Texas, Elijah was the victim's ex-boyfriend.
Investigators say Elijah approached the victim in the hallway, slapped her, and held her at knifepoint, threatening to stab her if she did not go inside the bathroom with him. Police say that's when he sexually assaulted her and left the campus on a bike.
Investigators say the victim went to school officials and told them of the attack. Later that day, police arrested him at his home in Seagoville.
Police also said the victim's mother came to the school and the police department the morning before the assault and told officers and school officials that Elijah had threatened her daughter and said he would come to the school.
Mesquite ISD declined an interview but said it has three school resource officers and three security guards on campus. It also said it installed an alert system last year that signals when doors are left open or unlocked.
Thompson claims parents were given few details on the assault and wants more transparency from the district.
"I feel like a lot of us are feeling betrayed that he was able to be arrested at his home and not at the school, that it was even possible for it to happen. It's a very disheartening moment for the Mesquite Independent School District," Thompson said.
The district said the student accused of letting Elijah in could face disciplinary action, and police told CBS News Texas it's possible the student could face charges.