GALESBURG, Ill. — More details have emerged after a man was escorted out of Galesburg Junior Senior High School last week.
On Monday, April 22, 22-year-old Andre Odom allegedly followed students into the high school's main entrance when the doors were unlocked during a passing period. According to a police report obtained by News 8, Odom went to the front office and told staff he wanted to enroll in school and earn his GED.
The staff member, recognizing Odom as an adult, asked him to sit down "in an effort to get another staff member to talk to him," the report reads. Police say Odom then started talking with female students and was told to stop. He was then asked to leave the building.
After leaving through the front door, Odom walked to the west door near Theil Gymnasium. He was able to gain reentry into the school after a student held the door open for him. The report says the student "most likely opened the door for Odom without realizing the dangers of doing so." No disciplinary action was taken against the student.
According to the police report, Odom had switched sweatshirts before entering the school a second time. He allegedly proceeded to a classroom where he spoke with a staff member about wanting to coach basketball. The staff member, whose identity was redacted from the report, recognized Odom was not a student and called security.
The report says Odom then left the main high school building before heading over to the Galesburg Area Vocational Center where he was arrested.
"Nobody was ever in danger. But certainly, we're not minimizing it. It was something that shouldn't have happened. But the staff really did respond accordingly," Galesburg Community School District Superintendent John Asplund said last week after the incident. He added that an adult should have been occupying the door since it was during a passing period and that the district would learn from this incident.
During morning announcements the day after, April 23, GHS Principal Tom Hawkins told students not to open the door for anyone unless they recognized them as a student or staff member, or if the individual is wearing a visitor pass.
Odom was charged with criminal trespassing and is scheduled to appear in court on May 22.
News 8 received the police report through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
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