Florida schools were closed during the week of Thanksgiving.
No one was supposed to be at Windmill Point Elementary School on Thanksgiving morning.
That’s why police were shocked when they found out the Florida man running naked through an elementary school was a teacher.
On Thanksgiving day, a deputy from the Port St. Lucie Police Department in Florida was making his normal rounds when he noticed someone inside Windmill Point Elementary School.
Since it was Thanksgiving, no one should have been inside the school.
But when the deputy shined his flashlight inside the school, he saw a naked man running around and called for backup.
The naked man was 34-year-old Joe Franklin Urias.
Urias quickly dressed and fled the building when he realized the police were coming for him.
However, he resisted and fought back when a deputy attempted to detain him.
“The deputy later saw a male, a nude male inside through the window inside the school,” Port St. Lucie police Chief Leo Niemczyk said. “The male saw a deputy, quickly got dressed and exited the school,” he continued. “The deputy tried to apprehend him, and at that point, the now clothed, formerly nude male committed battery on that deputy.”
According to court records, the officers found several items inside the classroom where they saw Urias.
The items included clothes, food, a laptop, sex toys, and marijuana.
There was also what appeared to be a makeshift bed and a large amount of food and drinks.
Urias claimed that he was homeless.
“He said he was homeless and perhaps he was planning to spend the holiday weekend there,” Niemcyzk said. “I don’t, but we don’t know how long he was in there.”
Police aren’t sure how long he had been staying in the classroom, but Urias told the officers that he gained access to the elementary school by using an unlocked window.
After doing some investigating, the officers discovered that Urias was a teacher at Somerset College Preparatory Academy.
Somerset College Preparatory Academy posted a statement on Facebook acknowledging “allegations, unrelated to our school, against an individual formerly employed at our school.”
“We are reaching out to inform you about a matter that recently came to our attention involving allegations, unrelated to our school, against an individual formerly employed at our school,” the statement read. “Please be assured that we are cooperating with law enforcement as they address this situation.”
“We have handled this matter administratively and will take all necessary actions to ensure that this individual does not return to our campus,” the statement continued. “We understand that this news may be concerning, and we are here to support our families during this time.”
Urias was arrested and charged with lewd and lascivious behavior, burglary, possession of marijuana, and battery of a law enforcement officer.
Three of the charges are felonies.
He was booked into the Port Lucie County jail on a $31,000 bond.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
