Man Charged with Entering Lititz School Wednesday with Knife
UPDATED at 11:38 a.m. Saturday
According to a report from the Lititz Borough Police Department, officers responded to a call to a Lititz elementary school after it was reported that a man allegedly entered the school without permission on Wednesday, September 9 at around 2:35 p.m.
Officers responded to Lititz Elementary School and quickly located the male who was no longer inside the building, according to the report.
Nicholas Shaub, 26, of East Market Street in Lititz, was arrested by the Lititz Borough police and charged with Defiant Trespass and Possession of a Weapon on School Property.
Police allege that Shaub was at the building to pick up a student but entered the building after being told not to do so. When officers located Shaub, he reportedly was in possession of a pocket knife, according to the published police report, which states that he did not display the knife, remove it from his pocket, or threaten anyone with the knife in any way. Shaub was summoned to appear in court on Thursday.
Parents of Lititz Elementary students stated Friday on the LititzDailyNew.com Facebook page that they received a letter from the school about the incident, but that the letter failed to mention the knife. It is unclear why the district omitted mention of the pocket knife in the letter to parents.
The Warwick School District did not respond to an inquiry from LititzDailyNews.com whether students or staff members had been in danger nor to a request for comment on the incident Friday morning. An email sent to district spokesperson Lori Zimmerman went unanswered.
After publication of this story, the district posted a statement to its website Friday that more fully disclosed details of the incident to parents, characterizing the alleged suspect as an “intruder.” The school district letter states that “At no time were any students or staff in any danger. The police subsequently questioned and searched the individual, at which time a knife (pocket knife) was found, and followed through with appropriate charges.”
The unsigned district statement alleges that “On Wednesday, September 9, 2015 during dismissal time at Lititz Elementary School, a relative of a student who arrived at the school to pick up students from the Lititz Rec Center’s after school care program entered the building through an improper door without following our protocol for checking in at the office, identifying himself, etc.”
The first day of the 2015-2016 school year took place on Wednesday for students in grades 1-12 in the Warwick School District. Friday was the first day of Kindergarten at Lititz Elementary and three other elementary schools in the district.
It is unclear why school officials chose to press charges in what may turn out to be a case of confusion over pick-up protocol for Rec Center program participants on the first day of school. As of the time of this update, the district has still not responded to requests for comment.