Suspect arrested in incident that put school in lockout

CATSKILL―The man sought by police for an incident at an apartment complex, that sent the Catskill Elementary School into lockout, has been arrested.

Mario Quimatoa Tubon, 41, of Catskill is charged with second-degree burglary: sexually motivated, a class C felony, and forcible touching, a misdemeanor.

Around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Greene County 911 received a call stating that a male subject had attempted to make entry into one of the units at 775 Embought Road with the alleged intent to rape a woman.

“Upon arrival, officers determined that the individual had left the location prior to their arrival,” the Catskill Police Department reported.

The individual involved was identified on Wednesday but initial attempts to contact him were unsuccessful, according to Catskill Police.

Tubon was taken into custody by State Police on Thursday. He was arraigned in Catskill Town Court and remanded to the Greene County Jail in lieu of $75,000 cash, $100,000 bond or $200,000 partially secured bond.

Additional details of the alleged offense were not provided.

The complex, known as Autumn Grove Apartments, serves seniors and those with disabilities and is located directly across the street from the elementary school.

As a precautionary measure, Catskill Elementary School was placed in lockout status during the incident. There was no threat to the school or to the public, according to both State Police and the Catskill Police Department.

“At no time was there a known threat to our schools, and all students were safely dismissed,” Superintendent Junait Shah said in a letter to the community on Wednesday, adding that measures were taken “out of an abundance of caution.”

During lockout mode, the school day continues as usual in the building with no students or staff outside, he noted.

“Given the active nature of the investigation and its close proximity to our schools, we implemented additional safety measures to ensure a secure dismissal process at the middle school and high school,” Shah explained.

“Students were temporarily held in the buildings and then escorted to buses one at a time. Buses were dismissed with law enforcement support as they exited the village. We also asked families to meet their children at their bus stops. Elementary school students were dismissed as usual for parent pickup, while bus transportation was delayed due to the later dismissal procedures at the middle and high schools,” he said.

The district also asked parents of middle school and high school student walkers to pick up their children so they could be safely escorted home.

Shah thanked the Catskill Police Department, Greene County Sheriff's Office and New York State Police for their assistance and for providing a law enforcement presence along bus routes and in the vicinity of drop-off locations.

The investigation remains ongoing. State Police said anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Tubon is asked to contact the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) in Catskill at 845-344-5300.