ALBANY, OR - Authorities of the Albany Police Department (APD) said that police arrested a registered sex offender after he attempted to enroll in a high school with a fake name and birthdate.
According to KPTV, on December 13th, employees of Families and Communities contacted a school resource officer stating that a person was trying to register for the high school. The person, since identified as 27-year-old Makayla Craig, looked like an adult but claimed they were a 15-year-old girl.
Further investigation into the incident found that Craig had give a fake name and birthdate in an attempt to enroll in the high school. After being identified, Craig was found to be a registered sex offender. She was arrested on charges of computer crimes, second-degree forgery, and false swearing.
Craig was reportedly convicted of sex abuse in 2023, but the exact details on that case are not publicly available. A mandate within the state of Oregon allows homeless youth to initially register for school without verifiable identification, but before the youth actually go to school there are safeguards in place to then confirm their identity.
In a statement, Greater Albany Public Schools said, "I want to start by saying we are very proud of our Families and Communities Together (F.A.C.T) employee for being thorough and trusting in their instinct in this situation. Thanks to them, the individual was identified and prevented from enrolling, thanks to the employee's attentiveness and trust in their instincts.
"When the information provided in the application raised concerns, the employee contacted GAPS partners to verify the details. This collaboration led to identifying the individual as a 27-year-old registered sex offender and alerting law enforcement. To clarify, the individual is not known to Greater Albany Public Schools. This situation highlights the importance of our thorough application review process.
"We will continue to evaluate each application carefully and, when something feels off, take the necessary steps to investigate further before moving on. We are also grateful for the swift action taken by the Albany Police Department in this case."
In a separate incident, a registered sex offender in Redding, California, was arrested for violating his registration status by being on school grounds. ABC7 reported that the Redding Police Department (RPD) had its officers respond to Buckeye Elementary School after staff members said that a man was seen in the area possibly in possession of a firearm.
The school was temporarily placed on lockdown and RPD officers along with a California Highway Patrol helicopter checked the area for the subject. After an extensive check, officers located the suspect, 65-year-old Skeeter Evans who matched the description. Evans, a registered sex offender, was uncooperative with officers on scene. He was found to be unarmed, but had violated his registration status.
Evans was placed under arrest and booked into the Shasta County Jail for resisting arrest and being a sex offender registrant on school grounds.
According to KPTV, on December 13th, employees of Families and Communities contacted a school resource officer stating that a person was trying to register for the high school. The person, since identified as 27-year-old Makayla Craig, looked like an adult but claimed they were a 15-year-old girl.
Further investigation into the incident found that Craig had give a fake name and birthdate in an attempt to enroll in the high school. After being identified, Craig was found to be a registered sex offender. She was arrested on charges of computer crimes, second-degree forgery, and false swearing.
Craig was reportedly convicted of sex abuse in 2023, but the exact details on that case are not publicly available. A mandate within the state of Oregon allows homeless youth to initially register for school without verifiable identification, but before the youth actually go to school there are safeguards in place to then confirm their identity.
In a statement, Greater Albany Public Schools said, "I want to start by saying we are very proud of our Families and Communities Together (F.A.C.T) employee for being thorough and trusting in their instinct in this situation. Thanks to them, the individual was identified and prevented from enrolling, thanks to the employee's attentiveness and trust in their instincts.
"When the information provided in the application raised concerns, the employee contacted GAPS partners to verify the details. This collaboration led to identifying the individual as a 27-year-old registered sex offender and alerting law enforcement. To clarify, the individual is not known to Greater Albany Public Schools. This situation highlights the importance of our thorough application review process.
"We will continue to evaluate each application carefully and, when something feels off, take the necessary steps to investigate further before moving on. We are also grateful for the swift action taken by the Albany Police Department in this case."
In a separate incident, a registered sex offender in Redding, California, was arrested for violating his registration status by being on school grounds. ABC7 reported that the Redding Police Department (RPD) had its officers respond to Buckeye Elementary School after staff members said that a man was seen in the area possibly in possession of a firearm.
The school was temporarily placed on lockdown and RPD officers along with a California Highway Patrol helicopter checked the area for the subject. After an extensive check, officers located the suspect, 65-year-old Skeeter Evans who matched the description. Evans, a registered sex offender, was uncooperative with officers on scene. He was found to be unarmed, but had violated his registration status.
Evans was placed under arrest and booked into the Shasta County Jail for resisting arrest and being a sex offender registrant on school grounds.
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