Federal immigration agents targeted the well-liked leader of Iowa’s largest school district in a traffic stop Friday and arrested him after he fled into the woods, leaving educators and community members stunned.

U.S. immigration officials on Friday arrested the superintendent of the public schools system in Des Moines, Iowa, acting on what authorities said was a prior deportation order.

“I want to be clear, no one here was aware of any citizenship or immigration issues that Dr. Roberts may have been facing,” Norris said.