Mesquite high school student sexually assaulted in bathroom by man who sneaked into campus: police

MESQUITE, Texas - Mesquite police say a 19-year-old man sneaked into a high school campus and sexually assaulted a student in the bathroom.

Police say Synniaz Elijah, who is not a student, bypassed security at Horn High School Tuesday around 2:30 after a student allowed him in through a locked exterior door.

Once inside, the Seagoville man searched for his ex-girlfriend who is a student at the school. Police say he used a knife to force her into a bathroom stall and sexually assault her.

"After the incident, it’s our understanding that the victim went to the front office and notified staff of what had occurred," said Mesquite Police Officer Michael Kelly.

A teacher saw Elijah in the hallway and approached him. He ran away, and school resource officers didn’t find him on campus. Police say he did not hurt anyone else.  

Mesquite police were able to quickly identify Elijah and arrested him Tuesday night at his Seagoville home.

(Synniaz Elijah (Photo: Mesquite Police Department))

"We want our Horn families to know that we share their concern that this individual was able to gain entry to the campus. MISD is committed to exceeding state safety and security standards, and we rely on the cooperation and commitment of our students to keep our campus secure," Mesquite ISD said in a statement released on Wednesday.

"Exterior doors are locked for a reason. There are only two authorized entrances for visitors to enter Horn High School. Any student who opens a door to an unauthorized person will face serious disciplinary action, as this compromises the security of our campus."

Parents raised concerns about how long the man went unnoticed and the district’s decision to wait until the next day to notify parents about what happened.

"I find it strange that a total stranger, a person who doesn’t go to the school, got back into the school, had access and stayed in for a minute to assault someone before they were recognized," said parent Latyla Fanner. "Usually, if someone came with contraband, there’s an email sent out or a text message that evening. So I’m not happy that it was a day later that we’re made aware of this. That is just the most concerning for me." 

Parent Brianka Dulin agrees. 

"That bothered me so bad," she said. "So y’all waited 24 hours to tell parents that their child was in danger?"

Mesquite police say they wanted to make sure information was accurate before informing parents of the incident.  

"This is a very rare occurrence. We hate that it happened," Kelly said. "But getting information out is critical to the community, to the parents. It has to be accurate instead of getting it out quick. I think that’s more important." 

Even though the suspect was arrested, Dulin is still concerned about security at the high school.  

"Who's to say it won’t happen again," she said.

Mesquite police could not confirm if Elijah was a former student at Horn High School, but they did say that he knew the student who let him inside.  

Elijah is charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and is being held in the Mesquite city jail.