A 25-year-old convicted sex offender has been arrested on multiple felony charges after police say he entered a Phoenix elementary school, posed as a doctor and sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl in a classroom.
Abel Kai Gblah, 25, is accused of assaulting a 10-year-old girl at Orangewood Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona.
According to court documents cited by AZFamily/Gray News, Gblah gained access to the campus by following a student who had been buzzed in through the main entrance. Once on campus, he allegedly told a 10-year-old girl that he was a doctor and that she needed to go with him into an empty classroom because he "needed to perform tests." In the classroom, he is accused of pulling down the child’s pants and sexually assaulting her.
Police say the girl told him to stop and pushed him away, after which he left the school. Phoenix police were called to the campus just before 12:30 p.m. for reports that a child had been sexually assaulted. Investigators used recently upgraded school surveillance cameras to help identify the suspect, matching his clothing down to a torn patch in the knee of his jeans, according to AZFamily/Gray News. Officers located Gblah shortly afterward and arrested him.
Records show Gblah is a Tier 2 sex offender who was previously convicted in connection with a 2021 child sex-crimes case, including sexual conduct with a minor, after accepting a plea deal in which other charges were dismissed, according to local news reports. Separate reporting by Fox News and the New York Post indicates he had been released from prison about two weeks before the alleged assault and had also been linked to human smuggling.
Homeland Security official Tricia McLaughlin, in a statement reported by The Daily Wire, described Gblah as a "criminal alien" and criticized the Biden administration’s handling of his 2021 case, saying he should have been a priority for removal following his earlier child sex-crime convictions. Her comments reflect a political critique of federal immigration enforcement in the wake of the new allegations.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement has issued an immigration detainer with the Maricopa County Jail requesting custody if Gblah is released, The Daily Wire reported. Court and jail records show he is being held on a cash-only bond of $500,000 and has been booked on multiple charges, including sexual assault, kidnapping and a probation violation, according to AZFamily/Gray News. Local television outlets report that a preliminary hearing has been scheduled for early December.
The Washington Elementary School District said in statements to parents and local media that school administrators immediately called 911 and placed the school on lockdown after learning of the incident. The district said Gblah was on campus for approximately 10 minutes and made inappropriate contact with a student during that time. It added that a staff member has been placed on administrative leave following an internal review of how the intruder gained access, and that officials are reviewing campus safety procedures and communication protocols.
District officials said additional security will remain on campus in the short term and that counseling and other resources are being offered to the child and her family. Administrators also expressed appreciation for the Phoenix Police Department’s rapid response.
Gblah has not yet entered pleas in the new case. The charges remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.