Mom Arrested After Dressing Up as 13-Year-Old Girl to Test School Security
A Texas woman has been arrested after she allegedly impersonated her 13-year-old daughter and spent almost a full day in school attending her classes.
Casey Garcia, 30, attended the San Elizario Independent School District campus in Texas, wearing a yellow Marvel hoodie, a backpack and a face mask, according to YouTube videos she posted of herself.
She filmed herself entering the school disguised as her 13-year-old daughter, Julie, to test the security at the facility.
Garcia showed herself walking through the hallway of the school, sitting in classrooms during lessons, speaking to multiple faculty members including the principal, with none of the staff members seemingly realising that she was not her daughter.
"I've been here all day, face-to-face with teachers," Garcia said in one of the videos. "Do I look like a seventh-grader? No? Cool. Awesome."
She even filmed herself eating lunch in the cafeteria without wearing a face mask. But she was eventually caught by her final teacher in seventh period, who asked her to stay after class before looking at her and saying: "You're not Julie."
Garcia explained why she went undercover, saying in one of her videos: "I bet you anything someone else can do this... this is why I did this. This is why I did this — whether you agree with me or not."
She explained further in a follow-up video: "I don't think it should have ever gotten this far. I'm telling you right now we need better security at our schools — this is what I tried to prove.
"This is about our children and the safety of our children. That's all I'm trying to do is prevent another mass shooting."
Garcia was later arrested by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office and charged on suspicion of criminal trespassing and tampering with government records, according to CBS 12.
Following her arrest, Garcia was booked into the El Paso County Detention Facility on charges relating to the incident and an unrelated traffic warrant. The 30-year-old was held on a $7,908 bond.
The school's superintendent, Jeannie Meza-Chavez, admitted to KTSM that the incident was a security breach and confirmed that an investigation is underway.
"While there was a breach in security by an individual associated as a parent with the school...we want to assure you that our security measures are being reviewed and evaluated," she said.
Newsweek has contacted the San Elizario Independent School District and the El Paso County Sheriff's Office for comment.
