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Shane Cronin, 30, of Lombard, Illinois, was arrested a short
time later near the school. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday to
attempted kidnapping, burglary, attempted assault and other
charges, and was ordered to be held without bail.
Cronin entered the Dr. Charles R. Drew Science Magnet school
without permission Feb. 11 and approached two children he did
not know in a hallway, authorities said. He was attempting to
lure and abduct one of them when a school employee saw him and
directed him to leave, District Attorney Michael Keane said.
Cronin punched the employee and shoved her to the ground before
a security guard intervened and Cronin ran from the building,
the prosecutor said.
The school is adjacent to the Buffalo Museum of Science.
Cronin's attorney said his client may have been in the midst of
a severe mental health crisis when he legally entered the
science museum and from there “was somehow able to gain access
to” the attached school.
“By all accounts, most of the employees did what they were
supposed to do upon making contact with any person not
authorized to be on the school premises,” attorney Daniel DuBois
said in an email. Cronin didn't have any tools or weapons on him
or in his vehicle, which was searched by police, DuBois said.
A spokesman for Buffalo Public Schools declined to respond to
questions about how the intruder gained access to the school and
what security protocols may have been breached. The school
includes students in grades three through eight.
The Buffalo Board of Education last month authorized an
independent investigation after a veteran Buffalo police
detective discussed the case on an April 26 podcast and accused
the district of cover-ups.
“Due to ongoing investigations and to not compromise the
integrity of the investigation, the district will not make a
comment at this time,” district spokesman Jeffrey Hammond said.
Keane said he is aware of the detective's comments.
“My office has been conducting an investigation. We are
committed to upholding the law, pursuing justice for victims,
and preserving the integrity of the investigative process,” he
said.
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