Man pretending to be student assaults girl in school bathroom, Missouri officials say

A man sneaked into a Missouri high school and assaulted a girl while she was in the bathroom, according to officials.

On Sept. 22, St. Louis man Antonio Batts, 18, is accused of gaining entry to Normandy High School — on the city’s northwest side — by claiming to be a new student, an Oct. 3 release from the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said.

At some point during the school day, Batts went into the women’s restroom and groped a female student’s buttocks, the release said.

She resisted and as the girl tried to pull away, Batts grabbed her by the neck of her shirt before she was able to break free and escape the bathroom, according to the prosecutor’s office.

But Batts didn’t leave after the attack. He stuck around a while longer, asking girls if they wanted to meet him in the bathroom for sex, the prosecutor’s office said, until he was apprehended.

“This behavior is very concerning to us,” St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said. “The safety of students, particularly at school, is of the utmost importance to our office. We are grateful the victim was not seriously harmed.”

Batts is facing charges of trespassing and two counts of assault, the release said. He could face up to six months in jail, if convicted.

No felony charges will be brought against him, a spokesperson for the attorney’s office said.

“Our sex crime team went over all of the relevant statutes and, while despicable and criminal, these alleged acts do not have all of the elements needed to be charged as a felony under Missouri law.”

This story was originally published October 4, 2022 at 8:15 AM with the headline "Man pretending to be student assaults girl in school bathroom, Missouri officials say."