Pasadena police searching for man accused of entering Deer Park ISD school

DEER PARK, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities in Pasadena are asking for the public's help to find an accused intruder who went into a Deer Park ISD school on Nov. 10.

According to Pasadena police, the suspect was able to gain entry into Deepwater Junior High at 501 Glenmore Drive. The school's security cameras recorded images of the suspect.

In a letter to parents, Deer Park ISD wrote that the incident happened at 4:30 p.m. and that the man had forced his way through a fence and entered the building near the swimming pool but did not gain access to the main part.

After about 10 minutes on the property, the man left the building empty-handed, the district said.

Officials said the school had already dismissed for the day at the time of the incident, but a small group of students and their coaches were still in the athletics area of the building. The intruder was near the group of students but did not make verbal or physical contact with them.

"The incident was reported to the school administration, and we immediately began to investigate what happened and contacted the police for assistance. After confirming some information, our coaches personally contacted the parents of the students who were present to explain what they knew at the time and that it was under investigation," the district stated in its letter.

Considering the emphasis on school safety after the tragedy in Uvalde, ABC13 looked to see if Deer Park ISD's safety plan failed. Leaders previously said they work with Deer Park and Pasadena police to station officers at schools. According to their plan, there is supposed to be one officer at each junior high school. What is not clear is if those officers stay through after-school activities.

ABC13 reached out to the school district on Tuesday to get clarification but didn't get a response. However, in their letter to parents, Deer Park ISD said it's doing additional door checks and security reviews. They add they are working on determining where the error was made in order to correct it.

"We will learn from this incident and use this experience to re-train staff and students to keep safety at the forefront no matter the time of day," the district stated in its letter.

The suspect was described as a white or Hispanic man in his 20s

Deer Park ISD is cooperating with the investigation, police said. Anyone with information is urged to contact authorities at 713-475-7869.