PLEASANT LAKE, IN (WTVB) – A registered sex offender was arrested after allegedly entering school property, raising security concerns among school officials and parents in Steuben County.
40-year-old Chad M. Fugate was taken into custody by the Steuben County Sheriff’s Office, and now faces a Level 6 felony charge for the unlawful entry of school property by a serious sex offender after an incident at the Pleasant Lake Montessori School.
According to a probable cause affidavit, a school resource officer reported that Fugate entered the building while dropping off his child at the school, explicitly violating the terms of his registry restrictions.
Fugate contacted the Sheriff’s Office later that afternoon on a recorded line, admitting to entering the building but claiming he never advanced past the first two sets of security doors.
Despite his claims of limited entry, state law strictly prohibits registered serious sex offenders from entering school grounds without legal authorization.
Fugate was formally booked into the Steuben County jail as prosecutors review the final charging decisions.
He was also arrested early last week in DeKalb County on charges of public intoxication and disorderly drunkeness.
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