New arrest report reveals more info on Fort Myers High School break-in

Reporter: Emma Heaton Writer: Rachel Murphy
Published: Updated:
Fort Myers High School. CREDIT: WINK News

New information has been released on the suspect who went through an unlocked door of Fort Myers High School.

According to an arrest report, Louis Pastrana, 25, squeezed through a fence to get onto campus.

Parents echo the same fears when they first learned of the break-in. One dad told WINK News he has spoken with Lee County Schools and Fort Myers High Administration several times. The interactions had gone nowhere.

The arrest report for the suspect, which offers new information on how he got in, will likely not ease his anxiety.

On May 10, police say the suspect walked into Fort Myers High School through an unlocked door. He spent hours roaming the halls and no one noticed. The suspect left the school shortly before the staff and students arrived.

“The good news is nothing happened seriously to harm kids. The bad news is that creates a great deal of uncertainty because it did happen,” said Kenneth Trump, president of National School Safety and Security Services.

Trump believes Lee County Schools is making a mistake not answering questions head-on.

Since the day we learned of the break-in, Lee County has refused to talk to WINK News. At one point, a district spokesperson said to WINK News in an email, “What, exactly, does WINK think it’s missing?”

Why was a door left unlocked? How could someone wander the school and nobody notice?

Why should parents trust the school with the safety of their child when safety protocols clearly failed?

Now there are more questions because we know that Pastrana, 5’6 and weighs 135 pounds, got through the fence.

WINK News visited Fort Myers High and saw that most of the bars are close together, with maybe a six-inch gap between them. But the bars closer to the right-side wall are a bit wider.

A flaw must be addressed, Trump told WINK News.

“There needs to be some reassurances and candid, transparent, authentic communications with parents, where you acknowledge the incident happened, we had some steps in place, here’s what worked, here’s what didn’t work. And here’s what we’re doing to try to reduce the risk of it happening again.” Trump said.

The only information the district sent to the parents came in two short emails from the Fort Myers High School Principal. He alerted them to the break-in, saying “Your child was never in danger.”

The principal assured parents that the building was secure and then said thanks for your trust and understanding.

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