Officials with the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office said they’re seeking a man who tried to enter Stoner Creek Elementary School.
The incident happened Wednesday afternoon when staff at the school notified the sheriff’s office of a man who had attempted to come inside the school saying he wanted to “look around.”
According to school officials, the man had no legal business at the school, so they denied him access.
Reports said the man told school officials he had attended the school “in the 80’s” and had “moved to California.” He added he was now living in Gallatin and said he “wanted to see how much the place had grown.”
According to officials, Stoner Creek Elementary was not opened until the late 1980’s, and they added the man appeared to be too young to have attended the school at that time.
A parent later told staff the man was behind the school. The School Resource Officer did a perimeter check, but was unable to find anyone fitting the man’s description.
Surveillance video showed the person of interest was a white male wearing a black jacket, red shirt, black shorts, and what appeared to be black boots.
Those at the school said the man looked “rough” and was acting “very suspicious.” He allegedly left slowly while looking up in the corners of the walls and down the hallways that were visible through the glass doors.
“Officer McPeak and administration followed all safety procedures and protocols. The students and staff of Stoner Creek were safe and school continued as planned. There was no immediate threat at Stoner Creek Elementary. Stoner Creek takes every precaution to ensure that our students and staff are safe," said Principal Christine Miller.
“We just want to know who the man was and why he was there,” Sheriff Robert Bryan said. “Our Office and the school system want to ensure our young people are safe. We do not know his motive for coming to the school, but we always take any incident out of the ordinary seriously. If you have information, please let us know.”
Anyone with information on his identity has been asked to call the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office at 615-444-1412.
