A MS Coast man was arrested for breaking into a school and living there over the weekend, authorities said

Ocean Springs police arrested a 46-year-old man this month and charged him with breaking into Ocean Springs Elementary School and living in the attic for a weekend.

Jared Ian Sumrall was being held without bail in the Jackson County jail this week for commercial burglary. Ocean Springs Deputy Chief Steven Dye said police arrested Sumrall for another local burglary and he was released from jail on bail when he allegedly broke into the elementary school.

The Ocean Springs School District said Sumrall broke down on Saturday, Nov. 9, and left Monday morning. Police identified Sumrall from school surveillance tapes and arrested him again on Nov. 12 in Biloxi.

The Ocean Springs School District said Sumrall never crossed paths with students.

“They were not in any danger,” said Trey Brennan, the district’s communications director. “We have a lot of confidence in that.”

Sumrall is accused of jumping over a fence and climbing through a vent on the school’s roof, Brennan said. He arrived at the loft, where maintenance crews were using it to repair HVAC systems, and spent much of the weekend there, according to the district.

The school has since repaired the vent, so it “is no longer a possible entry point,” Brennan said.

The break-in did not trigger any security alarms because the suspect remained in a building and never used entry or exit doors, Brennan said. He apparently slept in the attic and briefly walked the halls. Police believe Sumrall stole an iPad, chips, gum, kinetic sand and Lego toys from a teacher’s classroom, Dye said.

The teacher noticed the items were missing Monday morning and reported it to the school administration, Brennan said. Someone also found a pair of jeans in one of the school’s sinks.

The district said in a letter to parents that at 10:18 a.m. Monday, when police combed the campus, the discovery forced students to seek shelter elsewhere out of caution. Classes continued normally, but no one was allowed to enter the halls. Shelter-in-place lasted just over an hour.

Officers found clothes and a Bible in the attic, Brennan said. The district said Sumrall was not on campus when police searched the buildings.

Dye said Sumrall was homeless and was known to local police. He said Sumrall was arrested a week ago and charged with shoplifting at Empowered Pathways, a behavioral therapy service in Ocean Springs. Police could not immediately confirm whether Sumrall had any prior criminal convictions.

The district has “zero evidence” that Sumrall was on campus before Nov. 9, Brennan said. The district is still investigating how the suspect got to the roof.

Some students were on campus for events that weekend, but were staying in a different building separated by a closed door and locked doors, Brennan said. According to the district, there are several interconnected buildings on the elementary school campus, and security cameras show no evidence that the suspect attempted to reach those buildings.

The Ocean Springs School District Police Department and the Ocean Springs Police Department are continuing the investigation. The district did a full inventory to make sure nothing else was missing, Brennan said.

“Regardless of rumors spread on social media, the individual did not have access to students and staff,” Brennan said in a statement Friday. “He was never in contact with students or staff. “We were able to completely scan the building and make sure he was not on campus and did not pose a threat.”

Sumrall faces up to seven years in prison if convicted theft.