Bond increased for man arrested for alleged trespass inside Manteo Elementary, Dare school board sets Tuesday special meeting on school safety
- Corinne Saunders
- 8 minutes ago
- 11 min read
The Dare County Schools Board of Education will hold a special called meeting about school safety at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025, in Manteo, North Carolina. (Screenshot of Dare County Schools’ Monday, Nov. 10, 2025, school board meeting livestream)
By Corinne Saunders
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MANTEO — The man with a Canadian address arrested last Thursday for his alleged unlawful entry of Manteo Elementary School in Manteo and charged last month with burglary in Kitty Hawk now has an increased bond, and law enforcement checked his immigration status, according to a Dare County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson.
The intruder entered the school through a side door and was inside the school for approximately 44 minutes, with most of the time spent in staff bathrooms and six minutes spent in one hallway, according to a Dare County Schools email sent to all school families on Friday at 5:15 p.m.
Illya Sergiyovy Stepanenko, also named as Sergiyovy Illya Stepanenko (Photo courtesy Dare County Sheriff’s Office)
“Our information at this time is that the side door was neither propped open nor opened by any Manteo Elementary School employee,” the email signed only as Dare County Schools said.
“Any additional information on the trespasser’s entrance through the side door is confidential personnel information which we are not at liberty to share,” the email continued. “Please be assured that we are addressing this at the District level.”
The same 37-year-old man was arrested and charged last month with felony first-degree burglary in Kitty Hawk. He was released on a $5,000 bond in that case on Thursday, Oct. 30.
The man’s Ontario, Canada, street address is the same in both case files, as is his date of birth, but his name is listed as “Sergiyovy Illya Stepanenko” in the trespass case documents and as “Illya Sergiyovy Stepanenko” in the burglary case documents and in the Dare County Sheriff’s Office app.
He is now incarcerated on a $150,000 total secured bond.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, his bond for the trespass charge was set at $50,000, case records show. The previous day, the bond on the burglary charge was increased to $100,000.
Court records show that at the time of Stepanenko’s arrest last week, his immigration status could not immediately be determined. As of Tuesday, however, no immigration detainer was listed among his court documents.
“The detainer status was checked and it came back negative,” Dare County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Jeff Deringer confirmed to Outer Banks Insider.
According to Deringer, every person presenting themselves at the jail booking desk is run through multiple databases to see if they are listed as a missing person or a wanted person by any other agency in the state, other states or federal agencies.
When asked if Stepanenko’s immigration status was also checked after his October charge, Deringer said, “It’s normal procedure for us to do it.”
Some parents upset, meeting set for next Tuesday
Since the incident happened, multiple Manteo Elementary School parents have publicly expressed frustration on social media and to area media outlets, including Norfolk, Virginia-based WTKR.
Jamie Whitley, Manteo town clerk and public information officer, sent an email Monday afternoon in her capacity as a concerned parent, outlining several questions and concerns. Her email was addressed to Dare County Schools Board of Education Chairman David Twiddy, members of the school board and Dare County Schools Superintendent Steve Basnight III. It was copied to Outer Banks Insider, among other recipients.
“Ensuring that our schools maintain a safe learning environment is not only essential for student well-being, but it is also a legal obligation under North Carolina law,” Whitley wrote.
“As a parent, I am deeply concerned that the intruder was in the building in the proximity of my child,” she continued, adding that her first-grader was in the cafeteria during the time the school district reported that the intruder was in the building.
“I was in Raleigh last week and was not able to come to the school on Friday to meet with the individual members of the Board of Education,” Whitley wrote.
She requested in her Monday email, among other things, that the school board, Manteo Elementary School administration and Sheriff Doug Doughtie hold a public meeting with all parents before the next scheduled school board meeting in December.
Outer Banks Insider’s Tuesday questions to school district spokesperson Hannah Nash, including details of this alleged Friday meeting of school board members with parents, were unanswered as of publication time, as were questions sent last Friday. Those included Friday’s student attendance number compared to average school attendance and if there were student or staff interactions with the intruder.
Nash sent notice around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday of the public school board meeting scheduled for next Tuesday. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Dare County Administration Building in Manteo.
The stated purpose of the meeting is for the board to receive an update on school safety and to provide a public comment period. The meeting notice is below.
Public commenters must sign up in person no later than 15 minutes prior to the start of the meeting, and each person can speak for three minutes, according to Dare County Schools Board Policy 2310.
Reached Wednesday afternoon and asked about parent claims of last Friday’s meeting between board members and parents, Twiddy said that the school board does not hold meetings without following the requirements of state public meetings law. He said that Justin Bateman, whom he said was the only board member on campus last Friday, was primarily there in his capacity as a parent.
“He was asked questions, and of course he answered the questions, but he was not there representing the board of education,” Twiddy said. “His number one focus there was as a parent.”
Twiddy said that he has been contacted by 12 Manteo Elementary parents about the incident, noting how that is not many considering the large student population of the school.
When asked if the meeting was set because of parent concerns, he said no, that it came about because Basnight wanted to provide the board and the public with an update on safety procedures and protocols.
“Some of the materials he’s investigating, we may not know by next Tuesday...it may be at the point that it’s personnel, and that is a total different scenario,” Twiddy said. He added that the board will not hold a special closed session during the meeting, which is the procedure to discuss personnel.
He said Basnight had a team from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security onsite Wednesday at Manteo Elementary School for a “safety walkthrough, just giving us pointers, their recommendations,” and that Basnight has done that previously at First Flight High School.
“My understanding with talking to him today [is] he’s expanding that to other schools as the year goes on,” Twiddy said.
First Flight High School in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina (Photo by Corinne Saunders)
An email Manteo Elementary School administrators sent Wednesday evening to Manteo Elementary School families informed them of ongoing updates to safety procedures, as procedural gaps were identified starting in October and some changes were already underway, SamWalkerOBXNews.com reported Thursday morning.
The email message did not name Homeland Security, but said that “Central Office staff and an independent contractor were on campus conducting a security audit,” and said the same contractor conducted an audit at First Flight High School over the summer, according to SamWalkerOBXNews.com.
Less than two weeks before the Manteo Elementary incident, on Friday, Oct. 31, “two juveniles from South Carolina attempted to enter First Flight High School, presenting themselves as students,” a school district email addressed to First Flight High School’s staff and families said.
“An administrator promptly stopped and questioned the individuals just inside the school entrance, and the situation was handled without incident,” the email from Dare County Schools said, noting that no weapons were involved.
Deringer confirmed to Outer Banks Insider on Tuesday that those two individuals are being criminally charged for that alleged school trespass incident, but within the juvenile justice system since they are not adults.
Communications from Dare County Schools to the Manteo Elementary and First Flight High school families both said that student and staff safety is the district’s top priority.
The Manteo Elementary letter also said that Dare County Schools will review its safety and security procedures and provide additional training to staff.
Below is the email Dare County Schools sent to all school system parents on Friday about the Manteo Elementary School incident.
This message is from Dare County Schools:
Joint Update from Dare County Schools and Dare County Sheriff's Office
Regarding Manteo Elementary School Trespassing Incident
Dear Families,
We want to reassure our school community that we are focused on safety, and we know that we are accountable for development and compliance with safety protocols. We deeply regret that some of our safety measures did not function as intended yesterday at Manteo Elementary School. We know how important it is that you entrust us with your children every day. We take this very seriously and are conducting a full review to identify any gaps and prevent similar incidents in the future.
To that end and based on some misinformation that has been released on social media, we have prepared this document to provide the information we have and can release right now on the incident. We are aware that our initial communication on this issue was relatively limited on specifics, in part because we were (and still are) gathering information about this incident and in part because there are legal confidentiality requirements that we are bound to honor. We appreciate your patience while we gathered and verified information.
At this point, slightly more than 24 hours since our initial communication about this incident, this is what we know and have done:
QUESTIONS:
Who knew what and when?
At approximately 11:18 a.m., it was reported to the school administration that a man was taking pictures of cars in the school parking lot. The School Resource Officer was immediately contacted, and she confronted the trespasser by 11:20 a.m. in the school parking lot. At that time, there was no indication that the trespasser had been in the school building. When confronted by the School Resource Officer, the trespasser presented his driver's license, and a picture of his driver's license and tag information were obtained. It was ultimately determined that the individual had made entry to the school. Additional law enforcement was brought in, and the incident was reported to District administration, who quickly reached out to Sheriff Doughtie. A review of school video footage was undertaken. At 2:32 p.m., school officials were alerted that the trespasser was apprehended, which we have since learned occurred at the Dare County Courthouse. Our information is that the trespasser was at the courthouse to deal with a prior charge of first degree burglary. The trespasser was arrested for trespassing. Before the trespasser was even processed by law enforcement, school officials notified staff of the issue and, shortly thereafter, families. Our latest information is that the trespasser remains in police custody.
Why did the school not lock down?
A lockdown was not initiated because multiple law enforcement officers were already on-site and the individual had left the building before administrators were notified that he had entered the building. If it had been reported while he was still inside, a lockdown would have immediately been called. Given the circumstances and information available to school officials and law enforcement, the school was not locked down or evacuated.
How did the trespasser enter the building?
The trespasser did not gain entry through the front door to the school. Instead, he gained entrance through a side door. Our information at this time is that the side door was neither propped open nor opened by any Manteo Elementary School employee. Any additional information on the trespasser's entrance through the side door is confidential personnel information which we are not at liberty to share. Please be assured that we are addressing this at the District level.
How long was the trespasser in the building?
The information we have indicates that the trespasser entered the building and went directly to a single-stall, staff bathroom which we believed remained locked while he was in it. He left that staff bathroom and went to another single-stall staff bathroom which we believe also remained locked while he was in it. Although it appears the trespasser was in the building for approximately 44 minutes, he spent 38 minutes locked in one of two bathrooms; he was in one part of one hallway for a total of 6 minutes.
Where was the trespasser in the building?
Our information at this time is that the trespasser's access in the building was limited to part of one hallway.
Do we know the trespasser's intent?
We have no way to know the trespasser's intent, but we do know during the Dare County Sheriff Office's search of the individual he had no weapons on his person. The school system also has information that he may have indicated that he was coming into the building to wash his hands and use the bathroom and that he did, in fact, go to a staff bathroom as soon as he entered the building.
What actions has the school system taken in the last 24 hours to address this incident?
The following actions have been taken to address the incident so far:
Substantial law enforcement involvement: Dare County Sheriff and District officials have been in steady communication. Yesterday afternoon, several additional law enforcement officers were at Manteo Elementary School. In addition, weapons and electronics detecting dogs were brought to Manteo Elementary School and law enforcement officers ensured that the school was safe for students to remain.
- Video footage reviewed: video footage from several different cameras at the school have been reviewed.
- Communication: While we are aware it was vague (as information was still being gathered), an initial communication was provided to the staff and families at MES.
- District leadership have been stationed at MES much of today to address parent questions.
- Parent concerns have been compiled into this updated communication.
- Law enforcement and District investigations into the incident are well underway.
- Manteo Elementary School administration has already begun an internal safety audit and is updating several practices and protocols.
- Dare County Schools has contacted an external law enforcement agency to conduct a security audit in the very near future.
What actions will the school system take in the near future to address this incident?
While our future actions will be guided by the information we are still gathering, we certainly are looking at the following potential actions:
- Review of lockdown practices.
- Review of safety protocols.
- Training to reinforce knowledge and the need for strict compliance with safety protocols.
- Review safety and security-related technology needs, placement, and functionality.
- Staff badge audit.
- Review of school safety plan.
While many safety measures are already in place, these systems require full compliance from everyone in our school community. All Dare County Schools are outfitted with a school resource officer, weapons detection systems at main entry points, security cameras throughout the property, and identification check-in systems at the front office. Each school has a school safety plan and protocols for various safety situations. Routine drills are held and reviewed after each drill. However, these protocols only work with full participation from the entire school community. Additional training will be provided to ensure we do not become complacent and to keep us vigilant about each step of the safety process. Each and every safety protocol we have will be reviewed as part of our response to this incident.
This work will require collaboration, and we appreciate everyone's partnership in protecting the most important part of our schools-our students and staff.
Sincerely,
Dare County Schools
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