UPDATE 2:25 p.m. Dec. 6:
A toilet-paper-wearing man who alarmed parents and school staff Tuesday morning at Temecula Luiseño Elementary was not arrested, a sheriff's official said.
"Several deputies went out there and located the man on Wolf Creek," said Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Lisa McConnell. "He was never on the school campus and was not attempting to get on campus. The call was a suspicious person and the man was given a ride home."
There was no arrest and no report taken, McConnell said.
ORIGINAL POST:
A barefoot man draped in toilet paper alarmed parents dropping their children off Tuesday at a Temecula school.
The incident occurred at about 8:45 a.m. Tuesday at Temecula Luiseño Elementary School, 45754 Wolf Creek Drive North, a district spokesperson confirmed.
Temecula Valley Unified School District Spokesperson Melanie Norton said the incident was called to the attention of the school's principal, Tim Dignan, by staff and parents who noticed the oddly outfitted man walking on the sidewalk in front of the school.
"(He was) wearing loose fitting clothing and had toilet paper wrapped around his body and head. In one hand he had a roll of toilet paper and in the other a black wallet," Norton said.
When approached by the principal, she said the man did not respond or turn his head to look at him.
"At that time, the principal called 911," Norton said.
In an effort to lead the man away from the school, Norton said Dignan walked alongside him for a few blocks. The principal was aided by a parent who happened to be an off-duty police officer who drove alongside them in his vehicle, she said.
"After walking for a few blocks, the man stopped, took the toilet paper off and began walking back toward the school," Norton said.
By that time, she said five or six parents—all of whom were Military or off-duty officers—were driving alongside the principal and the man.
"As they approached the front of school, two police officers from the Temecula Police Department and a school resource officer were able to take the individual in for questioning without incident," Norton said.
Dignan sent an email and automated phone call to parents immediately after the incident, reassuring parents the man was not armed and did not act in an aggressive manner, Norton said.
"The safety of our students is our utmost concern and we are grateful for the alert parents who first brought this to the attention of school staff as well as those who provided their assistance until the police arrived," Norton said.
