SINTON, Texas — A Sinton mother wants answers after her 8-year-old non-verbal son left campus and was found in the middle of a busy street.
Xavier Perez left Sinton Elementary School Thursday afternoon. One resident on the 600 block of East Merriman Street, a block away from the school, captured video of Perez wandering down the street around 1:10 p.m.
According to Sinton Police Chief Eric Blanchard, 20 minutes later, he made his way to 600 East Sinton Street, one of the town's busiest roadways.
One witness told us the boy was skipping across the street when a female officer pulled up, jumped out of her car, and stopped him. She then safely escorted him to the other side of the street.
A second officer then pulled up, and they gave him water.
The boy's mother, Jaime Perez, told KRIS 6 News that the school contacted her at 2:10 in the afternoon to say her son had wandered off campus but was found safe.
In the meantime, Perez wants to know how and when he wandered off campus and why she wasn't notified earlier in the day.
She said school officials have told her they've reviewed their school's surveillance cameras, which show Xavier in the gym during P.E. They believe he may have wandered off during that class but have yet to provide a specific time for when that class was held.
In the meantime, Sinton Independent School District has confirmed the employees involved in the incident have been place on administrative leave pending an investigation.
Perez said those employees, include a teacher and two paraprofessionals.
The district released the following statement:
As for little Xavier, Perez said she took him to Driscoll Children's Hospital Thursday afternoon where he was examined and cleared.
She said he hasn't been himself and is considering taking him back on Friday. She said she's seen an increase in his stemming and has been suffering from diarrhea, symptoms she feels are stemming from what she described as Thursday's traumatic incident.
This is a developing story. We will update it as soon as more information becomes available.
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