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25-year-old poses as Dallas H.S. student to play basketball

Posted at 10:25 PM, May 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-16 23:25:35-04

DALLAS, TX – A 25-year-old man is in trouble with the law after authorities allege he posed as a 17-year-old to enroll in a Dallas, Texas high school.

Authorities say Sidney Gilstrap-Portley lied to district officials about being displaced by Hurricane Harvey to enroll at Hillcrest high school back in August.

The school’s principal says Gilstrap-Portley was a member of the basketball team.

"I was at basketball games. I saw him in the hallway we saw him here and there. The natural appearance of him did not send up a red flag. It’s difficult to try to even fathom that it even happened," said Chris Bayer, principal.

Gilstrap-Portley was allegedly caught by a former coach of his who saw him play at a high school tournament last month.

He’s charged with felony tampering of government records for allegedly claiming to be a displaced Harvey evacuee.

Police are also investigating whether he had a relationship with a 14-year-old-girl.

The Dallas School District says it will now review its policy on welcoming disaster victims to the district in the wake of what happened.