Police looking for man accused of touching himself in Walled Lake Elementary School bathroom

Parent reported incident to police

WALLED LAKE, Mich. – Police are looking for a man from Oakland County who investigators believe was touching himself in the boys bathroom at Walled Lake Elementary School.

The man reportedly parked his car in the parking lot after 4 p.m., when the school was out for the day. He walked into the building and headed straight for the boys' bathroom.

A parent called Walled Lake police Thursday night after his son said a strange man was touching himself in the boys bathroom. The incident happened during Prime Time, an after-school program at the school.

Two boys had gone to the bathroom to wash their hands before snack time and after they left they told another boy about the strange man in the bathroom. The student said he told a teacher.

The school principal and teacher confronted the man while he was inside the bathroom.

"He said he was interested getting his kids to attend that school so that’s why they were talking to him openly. They thought he was another parent," Walled Lake Police Lt. Heather Kolke said.

He walked with officials to the principal's office and was directed out of the building. A letter was sent home to parents on Friday. The letter doesn't mention the principal spoke to the man or that officials learned he was accused of touching himself inside the bathroom.

Police only became involved after the boy's father called them.

Walled Lake Schools released the following statement:

"Safety and security is always the top priority in Walled Lake Schools.

Communication sent to parents is always based on the information available at the time of any incident. The children did not communicate anything other than the man was in the bathroom.

The principal talked with the man; the man indicated he was visiting the school to enroll his child at a later date. The principal gave the man her business card. He told her where he lived, and asked to schedule a visit at a later time to enroll his child. Based on this interaction and the information at the time, the principal did not believe this person posed a threat.

Friday morning from 7:30 to 9 a.m. the principal met with the  Walled Lake Police chief and a detective to review all of the extensive camera footage. The WLPD were able to take photos of the footage which led to the identification and location of the man.

Walled Lake Schools always works collaboratively with law enforcement officials. We will be reviewing the policy of having the doors open at dismissal from 4 to 4:15 p.m. Walled Lake Schools makes safety and security priority."


About the Authors:

Priya joined WDIV-Local 4 in 2013 as a reporter and fill-in anchor. Education: B.A. in Communications/Post Grad in Advanced Journalism

Kayla is a Web Producer for ClickOnDetroit. Before she joined the team in 2018 she worked at WILX in Lansing as a digital producer.