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Second-grader says stranger followed him

A search of the Tampa elementary school grounds turns up empty. Police say the man did not touch the child.

By BRADY DENNIS
Published May 18, 2005

TAMPA - Officials locked down Pizzo Elementary School early Tuesday after a distressed second-grader claimed a suspicious man followed him up a stairwell.

The incident happened about 7:30 a.m., shortly after the 7-year-old boy arrived at school. He told authorities that he ran when the man walked toward him and that the man followed him as he ran up a flight of stairs.

The boy eventually found his older sister, and the siblings reported the incident to school officials. University of South Florida police officers said the man never actually touched the boy, and a sweep of school grounds came up empty.

The suspect is described as a slim black man with dark complexion, 25 to 35 years old and about 6 feet tall. Reports state he was wearing dark pants with "Old Navy" possibly written on the legs, a silver ring on his index finger and no shirt.

Administrators locked down the school for about half an hour, meaning that all doors were locked and students were not allowed to move from one room to another unaccompanied.

Hillsborough school district officials sent home a letter to parents alerting them to what happened but assuring them that student safety remains a top priority.

"It's a safe campus," said district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe. "While this is alarming, it was an isolated incident."

The school, located at USF, is not an enclosed campus and has multiple points of entry. Cobbe said school officials had previously requested more fencing, but it had not yet been installed.

USF police Sgt. Michael Klingebiel said the department notified the nearby Temple Terrace Police Department, as well as the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and the Tampa Police Department, to be on the lookout for anyone fitting the suspect's description.

Klingebiel also said the department posted an officer at the school after Tuesday's incident and plans to do the same today. He said officers will work with the school to provide crime prevention tips.

"Overall, it's a very safe environment," Klingebiel said. "We just want to make sure it stays that way."

Meanwhile, the boy involved in Tuesday's incident spent the rest of the school day at home, officials said.

[Last modified May 18, 2005, 00:49:11]