EDITOR NOTE: Tucson resident Frank Tainatongo has been charged with criminal trespassing after being identified as the 3rd man in the principal’s office. Tainatongo, 58, is the one seen in the video with zip-ties.
Two of the three men seen on video last week inside the Mesquite Elementary School in Tucson have been charged with criminal trespass after the father of a student went to the school to get his son’s COVID-19 quarantine order reversed.
Rishi “Reese” Rambaran was meeting with Principal Diane Vargo on Sept. 2 about why his son was told to wear a mask and isolate after reportedly coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The issue apparently caused the boy to miss an out-of-town school field trip.
Mesquite Elementary is a K-5 school within the Vail Unified School District. Rambaran’s son was among a handful directed to quarantine based on Pima County Health Department strict protocols.
While Rambaran was in Vargo’s office, Kelly John Walker and another man walked in. Contrary to some reports, it does not appear the men “ambushed” or “stormed” the office. Much of the video consists of Walker -who says he is a scientist- lecturing Vargo about Arizona law as she and another school official sit in chairs.
Meanwhile, the man with Walker stood near the doorway holding several zip-ties, which are commonly used by law enforcement in place of handcuffs. It is unclear whether Rambaran, 40, knew the other men were coming to the meeting and that one was bringing zip-ties.
At one point Vargo is seen on video talking to a woman who is purportedly the mother of Ramsaran’s son. The parents contend the school’s COVID-19 policy violates state law, and Rambaran told Vargo his son “is not going to be sent home. He is not going to be quarantined. My son will go back to class.”
Vargo explained that the district’s policy follows the county’s public health guidelines.
Both Vargo and Rambaran claim to have called for a police response to the school during the meeting. After several minutes, Rambaran requests a letter explaining why his son is being removed from school, and once given the letter the other men are asked to leave.
All three complied although Walker is recorded suggesting the matter is not over, saying he “loves a fight.” They were gone before TPD officers arrived in response to what Sgt. Richard Gradillas said was reported as “a fight brewing.”
Rambaran was cited later in the day on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing. He voluntarily signed the citation which includes a promise to appear in court on the date listed and was not booked in the county jail, Gradillas said.
After leaving the school, Walker posted comments on social media about knowing investigators wanted to speak with him. A criminal complaint was filed against Walker, 51, directly with the Tucson Municipal Court on Sept. 4.
Because of the court holiday, Arizona Daily Independent was not able to confirm the date of the men’s initial appearance hearings. It is unclear whether the third man seen in Walker’s videos has been identified or charged.
After the incident, Vargo stated she has received death threats after Walker’s video of the incident went viral. She intends to file for protective orders, Vargo said.
Prior to the meeting with Vargo, Rambaran is recorded on video talking about his belief that the Vail District’s COVID-19 policy is “violating the mask laws.” He stated his plan was to ask police to arrest the principal, noting “this has gone too far.”
A man standing off-camera tells Rambaran that “if the police and sheriff aren’t going to enforce the law, we’ll get some citizens down there and make an arrest.”
In fact, Walker used a livestream video as he was driving in an attempt to recruit people to come to the school. He called on “anybody who can who is close by” to come to Mesquite Elementary, and even referenced an unidentified “opinion” by Attorney General Mark Brnovich to support his position.
“I think this community has expressed that they’re not going to have this kind of bullying of our kids, these kinds of scare tactics,” Walker says as he drives.