A 25-year-old man got to relive his glory days of high school by posing as a 17 year old for nine months. Sidney Bouvier Gilstrap-Portley enrolled in Skyline High School in Dallas, Texas, claiming to be a Hurricane Harvey refugee under the name Rashun Richardson. Gilstrap-Portley decided to live out the ultimate high school experience by participating in sports teams and even dating a 14-year-old classmate.
Gilstrap-Portley transferred to Hillcrest High School where he joined the school's basketball team and promptly dominated on the court against his younger peers.
“He took that as an opportunity to gain access to our schools,” Dallas Independent School District spokeswoman Robyn Harris told the Dallas Morning News. “He was fairly savvy to be able to utilize that type of position, knowing that we were accepting Harvey students.”
The amusing secret was revealed when one of Gilstrap-Portley's former coaches from North Mesquite High School recognized him at a tournament as a former player who graduated seven years ago and alerted the Hillcrest High school coach.
“He was a good kid,” North Mesquite’s coach, Phillip Randall, told the newspaper. “I never had any problem out of him. That’s why I was shocked when I heard that all this came out because that’s not the kid that I knew.”
Gilstrap-Portley, who had no previous criminal history, was arrested Friday on a charge of tampering with government records. He was taken into custody at the Dallas County Jail but has since been released after posting bail.
Photo: Dallas County Jail