'High school basketballer' arrested after real age comes to light

A man pretending to be a 17-year-old high school basketball player has been arrested after his real age was discovered.

Sidney Bouvier Gilstrap-Portley, 25, was arrested on Friday after posing as a 17-year-old Hurricane Harvey victim and high-school freshman for roughly nine months, and starring for a high-school basketball team, per The Dallas Morning News.

He faces a charge of tampering with government records.

Gilstrap-Portley enrolled at Skyline High School at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, posing as a victim of Hurricane Harvey under the name Rashun Richardson.

The school had opened its doors to hurricane victims, and Gilstrap-Portley took advantage.

In October, Gilstrap-Portley transferred to Hillcrest High School, where he was voted the District 11-5A offensive player of the year by coaches. Hillcrest went 11-10 this past season.

Gilstrap-Portley appears to have played basketball for the Dallas Christian Crusaders of the National Christian College Athletic Association during the 2013-14 season after graduating from North Mesquite High School in 2011.

One of Gilstrap-Portley’s coaches from Mesquite recognised him at a tournament and pointed him out to the Hillcrest head coach.

The Dallas Independent School District released the following statement:

“This is a unique situation that shows us areas we need to take another look at when we open our doors to students in these situations. Safety is always our top priority, and we are reviewing our policies to strengthen district efforts while still helping those who are in need.”

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