PORTLAND, Maine — A Portland man has been arrested and faces multiple charges after he reportedly entered the girls bathroom at King Middle School and offered hypodermic needles to a student, police said.
Jacob Warren Horwitch, 43, was arrested and charged with criminal trespass, violation of privacy, and refusing to submit to arrest or detention, physical force, Portland Police Department spokesperson Brad Nadeau said Tuesday in a news release.
Horwitch is accused of entering the school building Monday morning, and officers were called to respond to a report about a suspicious man at the school at about 8:48 a.m.
"Upon arrival, police were directed to the individual, who was now in the vicinity of the Deering Oaks Park entrance," Nadeau said.
An investigation indicated that Horwitch entered the girls bathroom, where he reportedly offered the needles to a female student.
Horwitch was brought to Cumberland County Jail.
A spokesperson for Portland Public Schools shared a statement with NEWS CENTER Maine regarding the Monday incident that read in part:
"The incident took place while a number of Crews were meeting outside. The man approached the building from the rear parking lot and unsuccessfully tried to gain access through locked doors.
However, contrary to school security protocols, a classroom door was propped open and the man was able to gain access there. He was seen by a student who was outside and who reported it to a teacher.
After entering the building, the intruder entered a bathroom and encountered a female student and offered her hypodermic needles. The student left the bathroom immediately. The individual was not found to have any needles, drugs or weapons on them when arrested.
The man left the bathroom and then exited the building along with a group of students and teachers exiting through a side door. Several teachers noticed the man as he was leaving and reported his presence to administration."
The statement went on to say the intruder was inside the building for approximately two minutes, and a lockdown was not implemented because the man had already exited the building.