Two men were arrested early Wednesday after police say they broke into a long-shuttered Fort Worth elementary school, stole tools and a tablet, and left behind water damage before trying to flee on foot. Officers caught up with the pair following a short chase outside Charles E. Nash Elementary School at 401 Samuels Avenue, according to police.
Police responded to the 1928 campus after receiving a report that two people were inside the building, as reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Arriving officers saw two people exit the back of the building, and when commands to stop were ignored, the pair ran, per the Star-Telegram's account of the police report. Officers detained both suspects after the brief foot pursuit and recovered two backpacks containing tools and a tablet. Both men were booked into the Fort Worth city jail and now face charges of burglary of a building, evading arrest or detention, and criminal mischief, according to police records cited by the outlet.
A 99-Year-Old Campus Left Empty
Nash Elementary permanently closed after 99 years of operation as part of Fort Worth ISD's broader multi-year master plan, approved in 2025, to close or consolidate 18 campuses amid declining enrollment and budget deficits, according to KERA. The school's roughly 200 enrolled students were reassigned to Rufino Mendoza, Oakhurst, and Versia L. Williams elementary schools after the closure, the station reported. Census data cited in that same report found only 288 children between the ages of 0 and 9 living in Nash Elementary's immediate vicinity, while adults aged 20 to 39 made up more than half of the 4,165 nearby residents. Apartment complexes surround the campus and extend along the West Fork Trinity River.
Designed by prominent local architect Wiley G. Clarkson in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the campus is considered potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places, according to Historic Fort Worth. The building sits near newer multi-family residential developments along the West Fork Trinity River, the preservation group notes. The Star-Telegram reported that the property could be sold.
What the Charges Could Mean
Burglary of a non-residential building is classified as a state jail felony under Texas Penal Code § 30.02, carrying a statutory penalty of 180 days to two years in a state jail facility along with a fine of up to $10,000, according to Brian Foley Law PLLC.
The break-in comes as Fort Worth ISD remains under direct state oversight, with the Texas Education Agency having replaced the district's elected school board with an appointed Board of Managers in March, as Hoodline previously reported on state intervention. Nash Elementary's vacancy fits into a pattern across the district, which is also weighing the sale of other surplus sites, including the land Hoodline covered in its report on Farrington Field's front yard. The closures came amid declining enrollment and budget deficits.
