WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The suspect in an attempted break-in at an elementary school within the Wichita Falls Independent School District on Thursday morning has been identified by officials with the Wichita Falls Police Department.

According to the Wichita County Jail roster, Freddie Lee Brown, 34, of Iowa Park, was booked into the Wichita County Jail on Thursday, March 30, 2023, and charged with criminal mischief over $750 but under $30,000 destroying a school.

Sgt. Charlie Eipper, Public Information Officer for WFPD, confirmed Brown to be the suspect in an alleged attempted break-in at Scotland Park Elementary School on Thursday morning, March 30, 2023.

An additional charge for failing to comply with his duty to register as a sex offender was added following Brown’s arrest.

A search of the Texas Sex Offender Registry revealed a Freddie L. Brown, 34, in Brazos County, Texas, who was convicted in 2015 for the aggravated sexual assault of a 9-year-old girl. Law enforcement officials confirmed this to be the same Freddie Brown currently in the Wichita County Jail.

A third charge against Brown now appears on the Wichita County Jail roster of assault of a public servant. His mugshot is currently unavailable in the Wichita County Jail roster.

Scotland Park Elementary, courtesy Jalen Wells (KFDX/KJTL)

A records check revealed Brown currently has a state jail felony charge of possession of a controlled substance from December 2022 pending in the 89th District Court.

Sgt. Eipper said officers responded to Scotland Park Elementary school at about 8:47 a.m. on Thursday, March 30, 2023, to investigate reports of a man attempting to enter the campus.

According to Sgt. Eipper, a caller reported that a man had broken a window and entered the school. Sgt. Eipper later said on Facebook that the suspect did not make entry into the building, and that responding officers found the man outside of the building.

Wichita Falls ISD police officers at Scotland Park Elementary, courtesy Jalen Wells (KFDX/KJTL)

Sgt. Eipper said the man was banging on the windows and attempting to break into the building. He said the outside of a double-paned window had been broken.

Sgt. Eipper said the first officer arrived on the scene just over three minutes after the original call. He said several more officers arrived and had the suspect at gunpoint in under six minutes from the time of the original call. Sgt. Eipper said an initial custody search didn’t reveal any weapons in the suspect’s possession, but a more thorough check will be conducted once the suspect is booked into jail.

This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: WFISD officials said in a Facebook post that the Scotland Park campus was placed on hold and students were held in their classrooms until the suspect was detained. Initially, Texoma’s Homepage reported that the campus was placed on lockdown.

Though the two terms have been used almost interchangeably in the past, they are different responses in the Standard Response Protocol Toolkit for K-12, which is used by the WFISD:

  • A hold refers to a precautionary measure that requires students to remain in their classrooms to keep another area clear, like in the case of an altercation between students in the hallway.
  • A secure lockout is called when there is a threat or hazard outside of the school building, such as violent or criminal activity in the neighborhood, or a dangerous animal on the playground.
  • A lockdown is called when there is a threat or hazard inside the school building, from parental custody disputes to intruders to an active assailant.