HURST -- The sight of kids entering school at Hurst Hills Elementary Friday morning drew sharp contrast to the criminal drama unfolding around them: A 17-year-old pretending to be one of them, allegedly to prey on them.
The principal, assistant principal and counselors went class-to-class, reaching out to sixth graders who now know their world is not so innocent.
"The students said they felt betrayed," said HEB school district spokeswoman Judy Ramos. "They thought the student was like them."
Seventeen-year-old Ricardo Lugo was like them? Parents are trying to explain it to sons and daughters.
"I told her those are very bad men at your school," said parent Nicole Eggaeston, referring to Lugo and accused child pornographer Randy Wesson. "This is what happened. This is what he did. What would you do in this situation?
"I was appalled. Disgusted," she added.
Lugo is said to be about six feet tall. How did he pass as a sixth-grader?
"What we found is that he is in 98th percentile in height. 89th for weight," Ramos said. "[Lugo is] still within range for a 12-year-old."
What about Lugo's fake Ohio birth certificate? District officials say it looked real.
"It's not possible to call and do investigative research on every new student," Ramos explained. "We have more than 22,000 students in nearly 30 schools."
Lugo's shot records showed all vaccinations clustered in one year. That was not a red flag either.
"To see shots clustered in one year, not unusual," Ramos said.
She says district officials are digging through the details, looking for any red flags they could have seen. But school officials have never seen anything like this.
