Man with Canadian address charged last month with felony burglary arrested for alleged trespass inside Manteo Elementary

Manteo Elementary School is located in Manteo, North Carolina. (Photo by Lizzie Stoner)

By Corinne Saunders

Editor’s Note: Strong local journalism directly impacts your quality of life. You’re busy, and attempting to stay on top of everything that affects you and your community can be taxing. We are here to stand watch for you, making sure you stay informed about what’s happening in our area, all while providing an advertisement-free, easy-on-the-eyes platform, for less than the cost of a bag of chips a month.

Subscribe today!

MANTEO — A man with a Canadian address was arrested Thursday on a misdemeanor “first-degree trespass enter/remain” charge for his alleged unlawful entry of Manteo Elementary School in Manteo.

The same 37-year-old was arrested and charged last month with felony first-degree burglary in Kitty Hawk.

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.

 Illya Sergiyovy Stepanenko, also named as Sergiyovy Illya Stepanenko (Photo courtesy Dare County Sheriff’s Office)

As of publication time Friday, Stepanenko remained in the Dare County Detention Center in Manteo with no bond authorized. His next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 12.

Stepanenko “unlawfully and willfully did without authorization enter and remain in” the Manteo Elementary School building on Thursday, according to the charging text in the trespass warrant for arrest issued the same day.

Stepanenko the night of Saturday, Oct. 18, allegedly “broke and entered” into an occupied apartment in Kitty Hawk “with the intent to commit larceny therein,” according to the charging text in the magistrate’s order for the first-degree burglary charge.

Stepanenko posted his $5,000 bond in that case on Thursday, Oct. 30.

He was indicted on Monday and was originally due to appear in court this Thursday for the disposition hearing. The hearing is listed as canceled but another date has not been set in that case as of publication time.

A Dare County Schools letter addressed to Manteo Elementary families, dated Thursday and publicly shared online by several upset parents, said there was an incident that afternoon in which an individual entered the building without checking in at the front office.

An investigation and video review determined the individual did not enter any classrooms or student restrooms before exiting the building, according to the letter.

The letter did not say where the individual went within the building but said that “additional law enforcement conducted a thorough search of all areas the individual accessed and has since located the trespasser.”

Hannah Nash, spokesperson for Dare County Schools, did not answer Outer Banks Insider’s specific questions about the incident, such as how the man gained entry into the building, by publication time.

“We are currently working on a joint statement with the Dare County Sheriff's Office to provide more information based on the ongoing investigation,” Nash said in an email response to the query.

Released at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, the joint statement said school administrators learned around 11:18 a.m. Thursday that a man was taking pictures of cars in the school parking lot, and that the school resource officer confronted the man by 11:20 a.m.

The man presented his driver license, and his vehicle license information was also collected, the statement said. It was determined that the individual made entry to the school, but no lockdown or evacuation was initiated.

“Our information at this time is that the trespasser's access in the building was limited to part of one hallway,” the statement said. “Additional law enforcement officers were consulted, and they secured the school for staff and students.”

By 2:30 p.m., the person was arrested for trespassing, according to the statement.

Chief Deputy Jeff Deringer of the Dare County Sheriff's Office on Friday morning confirmed that the sheriff's office issued the trespassing charge but said he was out of the office with limited access. He did not answer Outer Banks Insider’s specific questions about the incident.

This is the second alleged unpermitted entry of Dare County Schools’ buildings in less than two weeks of which Outer Banks Insider is aware.

On Friday, Oct. 31, “two juveniles from South Carolina attempted to enter First Flight High School, presenting themselves as students,” an email addressed to that 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.

Because those individuals were not adults and were not named in the email, it is not immediately apparent if they were arrested or faced other consequences.

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.

--------

This article was updated at 5:50 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, with information from the joint school district and law enforcement statement, which was released after publication time.

Editor’s Note: Did you appreciate Outer Banks Insider’s ad-free local news? It takes significant time and effort to bring you this service of trustworthy local reporting. Subscribe today at this link to access all our in-depth, exclusive work, and to sustain independent local news in the area you love. News organizations interested in syndicating this or other Outer Banks Insider articles should contact us for details.