Jan. 22—A man temporarily living with his mother in Fairfield Glade unexplainably walked into a Cumberland County school dressed in black and carrying a backpack and has left unanswered questions for Crossville Police to pursue.

The incident occurred Jan. 11 around 11 a.m. at Glenn Martin Elementary School on Miller Ave. and ended with the suspect’s arrest on Hwy. 70 E. a short time later, according to reports released last week.

No one was injured in the incident but Tyler Royce Wolfe, 26, Holly Ct., Fairfield Glade, is charged with felony evading arrest and aggravated trespassing. Wolfe has since been released from jail, but the sheriff’s office could not provide information on bond or court date.

School Resource Officer MPtl. Joel Stevens wrote in his initial report a school counselor came to his office and told him, “I need you out here now.” When asked, the counselor told Stevens a man “dressed in all black and a backpack” walked out the front door of the office and left the building.

He was met by a physical education teacher who informed the SRO the man entered the school through a rear door to the gym. The teacher asked the man what he was doing in the school and that no one seemed to know the man’s identity.

Director of Schools William Stepp told the Chronicle the door was left open by mistake after a fire drill earlier in the morning. A vendor was set up in the gym, and the door was left open by another adult thinking he was facilitating the school photos.

“Our protocol is we don’t leave doors open for any reason,” Stepp said. “Everyone was retrained that day.”

Stepp praised the response time of the teachers, who approached the man within 18 seconds of his entering the gymnasium and followed him into the cafeteria, leading him to the office.

“In our de-brief with Homeland Security, they praised the response time of our teachers,” Stepp told the Chronicle.

According to the report, the man quickly walked to a parked 2018 Honda Fit, ignoring Stevens’ commands to stop, and sped away. Stevens quickly called in the vehicle’s tag number which was dispatched to area police units.

Dets. Tyrel Lorenz and Jon Tollett moments later spotted the vehicle traveling Hwy. 70 E. in the area of the bowling alley and stopped the vehicle. The driver was detained and Stevens identified him as the same person who fled from the school.

Tollett wrote in his supplemental report that he took the suspect into custody without incident and conducted a search which yielded no weapons. In the vehicle in plain view was observed a black backpack, and an inventory of the vehicle was done prior to towing, as is department policy.

The suspect’s mother was shopping at Walmart when notified police were at her home to talk to her about her son. She arrived 40 minutes later and appeared “indifferent” to why officers were at her residence, the report continues.

Lorenz and Tollett were told the son had moved into his mother’s home about three months earlier, drives for Uber in Knoxville and was planning on attending Arizona State University with Uber contributing to the college costs.

“She advised Tyler was home schooled and was very smart,” but added that he may have undiagnosed attention deficit disorder or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

She told police she had no idea why her son was at the elementary school.

Later that day, Tollett reported a phone call from the suspect who requested return of his cellphone. The suspect was told the phone was being seized for evidence but that he could come by and talk with detectives. Wolfe said he was not going to do that and ended the phone call.

In another supplemental report, police said they reviewed school security cameras and watched the Honda pull into the parking lot from Miller Ave., park, and a man exit and approach the school.

On finding the front door locked, the man returned to his vehicle, walked down a walkway beside the school toward the pickup line parking lot, opened the gym door and walked into the school. The man then walked to the common area of the cafeteria, looking at his phone.

At that point the man was confronted by school personnel. The man told personnel he was looking for his child and wondered where the family resources bathroom was located. The man was then escorted to the school office but when showed a seat to take, the man then abruptly left when the teacher went to get the SRO.

Still unknown is why the suspect was at the school, what evidence may have been found on the cellphone and what the backpack contained.

Michael Moser may be reached at mmoser@crossville-chronicle.com