Sex offender posed as a doctor and assaulted a 10-year-old at school, police say
PHOENIX (AZFamily/Gray News) — A convicted sex offender is back in jail after Phoenix police say he snuck into an elementary school and posed as a doctor before sexually assaulting a young girl.
Abel Kai Gblah, 25, is being held on several felony charges in connection with the incident that happened earlier this week at Orangewood Elementary School.
Just before 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Phoenix police were called to the school at 19th Avenue and Orangewood Avenue for reports that a child had been sexually assaulted.
WARNING: Some readers may find these details disturbing.
According to court documents, Gblah told a 10-year-old girl that he was a doctor and she had to go with him into an empty classroom because he “needed to perform tests.” In the classroom, Gblah allegedly pulled down the child’s pants and sexually assaulted her.
When the girl told him to stop and pushed him away, Gblah reportedly left the school.
“I don’t think this was just a crime of opportunity. This is one of those preplanned events and he decided, ‘This is what I’m going to do. This is how I’m going to do it. This is what I’m going to do to get done what he wanted to get done,’” said Phoenix Police Sgt. Rob Scherer.
The police department worked with an intelligence officer and the real-time operations center to analyze surveillance video from security cameras the school had recently upgraded.
Police matched the suspect’s clothing down to a torn patch in the knee of his jeans and said that information led them to Gblah.
“Within the very first hour of this investigation, the officer’s response led them to the front door of, ultimately, the suspect, 25-year-old Abel Gblah,” said Scherer.
Records show Gblah is a Tier 2 sex offender. He was previously convicted in connection to a 2021 child sex crimes case.
Gblah was offered a plea deal three years ago in that case, according to court records. He pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a minor; charges of child sex trafficking and luring a minor were dismissed.
Gblah’s home was 2.1 miles away from Orangewood Elementary, which is a distance that abides by Arizona law requiring the worst sex offenders on probation to live at least 1,000 feet away from a school.
“So, according to level-two standards, he doesn’t have to live 1,000 feet from the school. He’d have to be level three. So clearly this guy should have been a level-three sex offender,” said Jessica Nicley, a child abuse prevention expert.
Gblah was arrested and booked for sexual assault, kidnapping and probation violation.
Per documents, Gblah was interviewed by detectives following his arrest and he denied being at the school.
School officials later learned that the suspect got into the building by following a student who had been buzzed in through the main entrance. A statement from the Washington Elementary School District says he was on campus for about 10 minutes.
After the assault, the school was placed on lockdown from 12:20 p.m. until 1:45 p.m.
District officials said in a statement an Orangewood employee has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
The district says safety procedures will be reviewed and security guards will be on campus for the rest of the week.
“The Phoenix Police Department recognizes the impact this incident has on the child, the family, and the entire community. We are ensuring the child and the family have access to the full range of support services they may need during this difficult time,” the department said in a news release.
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