By Stacie N. Galang
Staff writer
May 14, 2008 05:36 am PEABODY — Peabody High administrators put the school in lockdown yesterday morning after a 15-year-old Gloucester boy lied his way into the building shortly before 9 and couldn't be found for nearly 30 minutes. Police Lt. Dennis Bonaiuto said the boy had taken the train to Salem and hired a cab to reach the Lowell Street high school both Monday and yesterday. He didn't pay the taxi drivers either day. Officers received the call at 9:07 a.m. yesterday and cleared the scene by 9:23 a.m., Bonaiuto said. The two school safety officers, Mario Alves and Manny Costa, were assisted by Sgt. Steven Marques and Patrolmen DJ Murphy and Michael Eon. Dog officer Eric Zawacki also arrived with K-9 Argo to search the campus. The police lieutenant said officers arrested the boy on charges of trespassing, disturbing a school assembly and two counts of larceny under $250 in connection with the unpaid cab fares. Because he's a juvenile, police have withheld his name. Both days the teenager used trumped-up stories to get past the door monitor who signs in visitors, Bonaiuto said. The police lieutenant didn't know why the boy had come to the school, but believed he wanted to meet with one of the students. The boy was transported to Salem Juvenile Court later in the day. "I think they found him relatively quickly," Bonaiuto said. "Once again, the fact that there are Peabody police officers on school property and the quick action of the staff in collaboration with police officers brought this situation to a quick conclusion." High School Principal Edward Sapienza said he did not know the boy had also entered the school Monday. Bonaiuto was unsure what had happened with the boy that day. "He might have been there and gone off the property," the police lieutenant said. The boy gave a number of conflicting accounts to cab drivers and school officials about his reasons for entering the campus. The teen told one driver he needed to go inside to get money from his father who worked in the building and told school officials on the first day he wanted to enroll, Bonaiuto said. Sapienza said the boy told them yesterday he was academically shadowing another student, an uncommon practice that would ultimately have to be approved by the principal himself. The boy also told others he was the son of the assistant principal, Sapienza said. "The kid was full of all kind of stories," he said. During the lockdown, vocational students being dropped off from their program at the middle school were forced to wait on buses until the closure was lifted, the principal said. Also, other students arriving late similarly had to wait outside. Sapienza said he sent home a brief letter to parents and teachers about the incident. Teachers also discussed the situation after classes released. Despite the interruption, the principal said the school transitioned back to work seamlessly. "This student was quickly apprehended by the good work of staff and police," Sapienza said.
Stacie N. Galang may be contacted at sgalang@gloucestertimes.com
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