Staff, wire reports

SYCAMORE, Ohio - A teenager posing as a state senator toured a high school and spoke to a class, and school officials didn’t realize they were fooled until weeks later, authorities said.

Mohawk Local School District officials said Izaha Akins, of Marion, visited the high school in December and claimed to be a lawmaker replacing another senator. They realized they’d been duped when Republican Sen. David Burke, of Marysville, showed up to speak weeks later, as scheduled.

Burke said in an email Friday that when he learned about the hoax, he and the school immediately began working with law enforcement. He said, “This was an extremely elaborate scheme and not as simple as walking through the door. When I heard about this, the school and I immediately began working with law enforcement.”

The Blade of Toledo reported Akins said he was making a point about school security in small communities. He was charged recently with felony counts of telecommunications fraud and impersonating a peace officer.

“These country schools think it can’t happen to them,” Akins told The Blade in a brief interview. He said he wanted to “prove a point that these kinds of things can happen. They could easily have Googled me, and they didn’t.”

School officials say Akins knew that Burke was scheduled to speak to a class Jan. 14, and called to bill himself as Burke’s replacement as senator and available to speak earlier. He arranged to visit Dec. 15, provided his real name, presented his driver’s license at the school that afternoon, got a tour of the school from the principal, then gave his presentation and left, Mohawk Schools Superintendent Ken Ratliff said.

“The presentation was about being active in politics, political processes,” Ratliff said. “Everyone thought it was legit; bought into it, including the teacher.”

Authorities said Reineke Ford provided a car and driver for the day to the supposed legislator. The Blade said Reineke Motors general manager Tony Flood said it’s not unusual for the dealership to help the nearby school district.

Wyandot County Sheriff Mike Hetzel said no one at the school was in any danger, and a sheriff’s deputy was at the school during the time of the visit.

Ratliff said, though, that the district now takes extra steps to verify visitors’ identities.