Sherwood Park school locked down after alleged ‘indecent act’

EDMONTON – An elementary school in Sherwood Park was put on lock down for roughly an hour after a man was allegedly seen performing “indecent act on himself” nearby.

It happened at approximately 10:25 a.m. near Brentwood Elementary School. Students, who were outside for morning recess, were called inside and the school was locked down after what RCMP call “a reliable witness” reported a man in the bushes.

Officers don’t believe the man exposed himself to any children, and no one was harmed.

The initial call the RCMP received was of possible shots fired. Cst. Elissa Purvis with Strathcona County RCMP said that, coupled with the complaint being linked to a school, led to a large response.

General duty RCMP officers, traffic enforcement, resource officers and police dogs were called in to search for the suspect, who was not found.

Officers also quickly determined no firearms or weapons were involved. The lockdown was lifted at about 11:30 a.m.

Cst. Purvis said, in this case, social media worked against them, as misinformation was spread across the internet.

The suspect is described as between 18 and 25 years old, 5’6″ to 5’9″, 175 lbs, tanned skin with short spiky black hair and wearing a greyish blue t-shirt and jean shorts.

Anyone with any information on this incident is encouraged to contact Strathcona County RCMP at (780) 467-7741.