Ohio high school says 24-year-old man posed as teenager to attend
A Venezuelan national was arrested on May 19 after Perrysburg police say he posed as a teenager to attend high school in the northwest Ohio city.
Anthony Emmanuel Labrad Sierra, 24, is accused of posing as a 16-year-old and enrolling in Perrysburg High School. He has been charged with felony forgery, according to court records, and is currently in custody at the Wood County jail. He was issued a $50,000 bond. If he is released, he is not allowed to leave Wood County.
According to a letter sent by Perrysburg Schools Superintendent Thomas Hosler, Sierra presented himself as an unaccompanied minor at the high school under the name "Anthony Labrador." Sierra allegedly received various letters of documentation while enrolled at Perrysburg High School, including a driver's license, Social Security number, and federal Temporary Protective Status from the United States Immigration Department.
Hosler said the district learned about Sierra's fraudulent identity on May 14 when the family who had taken guardianship of him contacted the school, according to reporting from WTOL11. The district contacted the Perrysburg Police Department who then conducted an investigation.
"This case involves highly unusual and deceptive circumstances that impacted many local, state and federal agencies," Hosler said in the letter.
According to Perrysburg police, they located Sierra riding in a vehicle at around 4:15 p.m. on May 19 and took him into custody.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Venezuelan national posed as teen to enroll at Ohio high school
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