Brother of Parkland massacre shooter arrested in Virginia for trespassing on public school property, authorities say
The younger brother of the man behind the 2018 Parkland high school mass shooting was arrested this week for trespassing on Virginia public school property and trying to get inside, local officials said.
Zachary Cruz, 24, was arrested by the Augusta County Sheriff's Office and Virginia State Police on Tuesday and charged with three counts of trespassing for trying to get into three separate Augusta County Public Schools buildings late last month.
He is the younger sibling of Nikolas Cruz, the 26-year-old man who is currently serving a life sentence in prison for killing 14 students and three staff members at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2018.
Zachary Cruz was released from the Middle River Regional Jail in Verona, Virginia, on Thursday afternoon, according to his attorney.
Virginia trespassing incident
According to the Augusta County Sheriff's Office, Cruz was seen on the night of Jan. 25 on the premises of the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center Complex in Fishersville, Virginia, about 105 miles northwest of Richmond. The incident prompted local and state authorities to respond to the area.
During the investigation, Virginia authorities reviewed surveillance video from Augusta County Public Schools and found that Zachary Cruz "unlawfully went onto" the properties of Wilson Middle School, Wilson High School, and the Valley Career and Technical Center after operationation hours.
According to the Augusta County Sheriff's Office, Cruz was seen "approaching exterior doors, attempting to open them and peering inside, indicating efforts to gain unauthorized access."
The Augusta County Sheriff's Office did not specify Zachary Cruz's motive for trespassing at this time.
Following the investigation, county and state authorities arrested and charged Zachary Cruz without incident.
A previous Florida trespassing incident
This is not the first time that Zachary Cruz has been on the wrong side of the law, especially when it comes to trespassing.
In March 2018, a month after his older brother confessed to the Parkland massacre, Zachary Cruz was arrested and charged with trespassing for skateboarding on the MSD campus. He was placed on six months probation after pleading no contest.
At the time, prosecutors argued that Zachary Cruz had "red flags" similar to his brother in terms of behavioral problems that might lead him down a criminal path.
Two months later, he was arrested for violating his probation after he was caught driving without a license near Park Vista Community School in Lake Worth, Florida.
In January 2019, Zachary Cruz sued the Broward County Sheriff's Office for allegedly targeting, harassing and torturing him when he was in their custody for the trespassing arrest.
Zachary Cruz moved to Virginia to escape his brother's reputation but returned to South Florida for the lawsuit against BSO.
