Man, 25, Outed After 'Living Double Life As A 17-Year-Old'

A 25-year-old man posed as a 17-year-old high school student so that he could play basketball again, police in Dallas believe.

Sidney Bouvier Gilstrap-Portley allegedly posed as a school student for nine months across two schools solely so he could once again play high school basketball. He also dated a 14-year-old girl, according to the girl's mother.

According to the Skyline High School in Dallas, Texas, he posed as a refugee from Hurricane Harvey called Rashun Richardson and enrolled in the school. He then switched schools to attend the nearby Hillcrest High School where he joined up with the basketball team.

He was arrested on Friday night and charged with tampering with government records. He was taken into the Dallas County Jail, but has subsequently been released on a bail bond.

This is the first time he has been arrested.

He is alleged to have taken advantage of the school's generosity for the bizarre scheme. The school had opened its doors to refugees from Hurricane Harvey, a huge tropical storm that devastated large parts of America in 2017.

A spokesperson from Dallas Independent Schools District, Robyn Harris, said: "He took that as an opportunity to gain access to our schools.

"He was fairly savvy to be able to utilize that type of position, knowing that we were accepting Harvey students."

He managed to get into the school, but in October last year he decided to switch schools and enrolled as a freshman at Hillcrest High School.

He told the school district officials that it was his desire to play basketball, and that he had come to Dallas unaccompanied as a result of the hurricane. He also said that he was homeless.

As you might imagine, it was quite literally men against boys. Gilstrap-Portley was the star of the team for the whole season. He was voted the offensive player of the year by all of the district's coaches.

His charade came tumbling down after he was spotted by one of his old coaches at a tournament in April. A coach from North Mesquite High School recognised him as a student from seven years earlier and told the Hillcrest coach.

More seriously, a mother Hillcrest says that Gilstrap-Portley was in a relationship with her 14-year-old daughter.

The anonymous mother said that her daughter believed that he was only 17, and that the pair did not have a sexual relationship.

She told the Dallas News: "It's unbelievable to me that he could get away with this.

"I don't know what, how the school let this slip through the cracks."

School officials informed parents and students of the situation in a letter on Monday and the district has said it will review policies to ensure this doesn't happen again.

Featured Image Credit: Dallas County Jail

Topics: Texas, Basketball, School, US News, Weird, US

Tom Wood

Tom Wood is a freelance journalist and LADbible contributor. He graduated from University of London with a BA in Philosophy before studying for a Masters in Journalism at the University of Salford. He has previously written for the M.E.N Group as well as working for several top professional sports clubs. Contact him on [email protected]

@TPWagwim