PHOENIX, AZ - Authorities confirmed that a sex offender is back in jail after he allegedly snuck into an elementary school and posed as a doctor before sexually assaulting a young girl.
The alleged suspect, 25-year-old Abel Kai Gblah, is being held on several felony charges in connection with the incident that happened earlier this week at Orangewood Elementary School, KLTV reported. He was arrested and booked for sexual assault, kidnapping, and probation violation.
Just before 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, Phoenix police were called to the school for reports that a child had been sexually assaulted. According to court documents, Gblah told a 10-year-old girl that he was a doctor and she had to go with him to an empty classroom because he "needed to perform tests."
While in the classroom, Gblah allegedly pushed 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 way is 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 that 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 officers' response led them to the front door of, ultimately, the suspect, 25-year-old Abel Gblah," said Scherer.
Court records show that Gblah is a Tier 2 sex offender. He was previously convicted in connection with 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 is 2.1 miles away from the elementary school, which is a distance that adheres to an 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 interviewed by detectives following his arrest and 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.
In a statement, district officials said 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.
The alleged suspect, 25-year-old Abel Kai Gblah, is being held on several felony charges in connection with the incident that happened earlier this week at Orangewood Elementary School, KLTV reported. He was arrested and booked for sexual assault, kidnapping, and probation violation.
Just before 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 19, Phoenix police were called to the school for reports that a child had been sexually assaulted. According to court documents, Gblah told a 10-year-old girl that he was a doctor and she had to go with him to an empty classroom because he "needed to perform tests."
While in the classroom, Gblah allegedly pushed 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 way is 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 that 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 officers' response led them to the front door of, ultimately, the suspect, 25-year-old Abel Gblah," said Scherer.
Court records show that Gblah is a Tier 2 sex offender. He was previously convicted in connection with 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 is 2.1 miles away from the elementary school, which is a distance that adheres to an 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 interviewed by detectives following his arrest and 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.
In a statement, district officials said 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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Comments
2025-11-25T06:28-0500 | Comment by: James
Oh yeah! The people who let this happened (could they possibly be black?) should be FIRED and jailed also!!!