Police Refute Comments In Letter To Wright Elementary Parents
posted 7:46 pm Fri November 09, 2007 - Tulsa
There are still questions about why it took two days for administrators at a Tulsa elementary school to tell parents about an alleged molestation that took place at the school.
The six-year-old girl told a teacher Tuesday morning she was molested by a man who came into the bathroom at Wright Elementary. The teacher immediately called police and the child's parents. But, parents of other students at the school didn't find out about the incident until they heard it from the media -- nearly 36 hours after it happened.
The school sent a letter home to parents Thursday saying police told them quote 'not to tell parents because it would be detrimental to the investigation and the victim.'

But, today, we asked police. They say that is not true. And, they also understand why parents are upset.
"It's just a fact that if it's your child or my child, I want to know what's going on at school that day," says Officer Leland Ashley. "And, if something happens at school that shouldn't happen, or a criminal act, I want to know."
Police say they would never ask a school to keep parents in the dark.
"We did not tell them not to notify parents. What might have been said was not to mention a suspect, as far as jeopardizing who at the time we thought may have been involved. Maybe not giving a description of a suspect. But, not notifying the parents is something we wouldn't have done."
Ashley says it is very important that parents be notified about things of this nature.
We want to stress that at no time has NewsChannel 8 alleged that the incident could have been prevented, nor that school security at Wright Elementary is less than exemplary. We merely questioned the protocol for notifying parents of a police investigation at their school.
Parents can breathe a sigh of relief today. Police say they arrested the man they believe is responsible for the incident. Twenty-six-year-old Justin Dubois was taken into custody at a fast food restaurant near 48th and Memorial Friday morning.
Police say Dubois was the uncle of a Wright Elementary student and that he took the child to school and was allowed into the school to talk with a teacher. But, they say on the way out of the school, he entered the girls' restroom and assaulted the six-year-old victim.
Dubois remains in the Tulsa County Jail on 50-thousand dollars bond. He was booked on a complaint of lewd molestation of a minor.
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