SJPD arrest sexual assault suspect who allegedly violated teacher in classroom

San Jose Police say they have arrested the sexual assault suspect accused of of assault and robbery of a teacher in a middle school classroom earlier this week. 

Police say the investigation is ongoing and the suspect, who has not been named was taken into custody Thursday night. 

Police Chief Eddie Garcia says he will release additional details Friday at noon.  

Yesterday we reported parents at Harker Middle School are still in shock.

Beth Martinelli, says, "I'm just deeply deeply saddened with what transpired. And it just makes me very very sad."

It's been one day since the sexual assault of a teacher on the campus and San Jose Police want to make their presence felt.

There are officers assigned to the school, and more patrolling the surrounding neighborhood.

Sgt. Enrique Garcia says, "We want to make a strong presence known to the community, to the children attending the school, to the staff, that we do care and that we're working hard to try to identify this person and take him off the streets."

The man they're looking for arrived on the Harker campus early Tuesday morning. Surveillance video shows him wandering the grounds for two hours before the attack.

Sgt. Garcia says, "That's the best piece of evidence that we have. We are aggressively trying to identify this person. We're asking the public to call us with any tip that they have. Anybody they suspect looks like this person, walks like this person."

The woman he sexually assaulted and robbed was a teacher who had come to prepare her classroom for the first day back from winter break.

School officials released a statement saying in part, "We are saddened and upset by this incident and are leaning in to provide support and privacy to our employee and to each other."

Administrators say they are cooperating with authorities and that they regularly review all safety protocols.

And until the perpetrator is caught, parents say the police presence is a comfort.

Parent Sudesh Saoji says, "We feel reassured and we feel that they are doing everything that they can."

Martinelli, also a parent, says, "I have the greatest degree of confidence that the school will do whatever it takes to make sure this campus is secure for the faculty and the students. Absolutely, the highest degree of confidence."

Surveillance video of sexual assault suspect