Ocean Springs police arrested a 46-year-old man this month and charged him with breaking into Ocean Springs Upper Elementary and living in a room over the weekend.
Jared Ian Sumrall was being held without bond this week in the Jackson County Jail on a burglary charge. Police arrested Sumrall a week before the burglary, and he was out of jail on bond when he allegedly entered the elementary school, said Ocean Springs Deputy Superintendent Steven Dye.
The Ocean Springs School District said Sumrall broke down on Nov. 9, a Saturday, and was abandoned Monday morning. Police recognized Sumrall from school video surveillance and arrested him again Nov. 12 in Biloxi.
The Ocean Springs School District said Sumrall never crossed paths with students.
“They were not in any danger,” said Trey Brennan, the district’s communications director. “We have a lot of confidence in it.”
Sumrall is accused of jumping a fence and climbing through a vent on the school’s roof, Brennan said. He ended up in an attic used by workers to repair HVAC systems and stayed there for the weekend, according to the district.
Brennan said the school has since repaired the air so “it’s no longer an entry point.”
The break-in had no security alarms because the suspect lived in the same building and never used the doors to enter or exit, Brennan said. Apparently he slept upstairs and walked briefly down the hall. Police believe Sumrall stole an iPad, chips, gummies, kinetic sand and Lego toys from another teacher’s classroom, Dye said.
A teacher noticed the missing items Monday morning and notified school officials, Brennan said. Someone also found a pair of jeans in a school sink.
These findings forced the students to remain in place as a precaution at 10:18 on Monday morning while the police were sweeping the school, the district said in a letter to parents. Classes continued as usual but no one was allowed to enter the hall. The hide-out lasted more than an hour.
Police found clothes and a Bible in the attic, Brennan said. The district said Sumrall was not on campus when police searched the building.
Sumrall is homeless and known to local police, Dye said. He said Sumrall was arrested last week and charged with stealing from Empowered Pathways, a behavior therapy service in Ocean Springs. Police were unable to determine if Sumrall had any previous convictions.
Brennan said the district had “zero evidence” that Sumrall was on campus before Nov. 9. The district is still investigating how the suspect got to the roof.
Other students were on campus that week, but they stayed in a building separated by a closed gate and locked doors, Brennan said. The elementary school campus has several adjoining buildings, and surveillance footage shows no evidence the suspect tried to get to them, according to the district.
The Ocean Springs School District Police Department and the Ocean Springs Police Department are still investigating. Brennan said the district is doing a full investigation to make sure nothing else is missing.
“Despite the rumors being circulated on social media, the individual did not have access to students and staff,” Brennan said Friday. “He never met the students and staff at any time. We were able to sweep the building and make sure he wasn’t on campus and didn’t pose a threat. “
Sumrall faces up to seven years in prison if convicted of the robbery.