PHOENIX, AZ - Convicted Sex Offender Arrested After Sneaking into Phoenix School, Posing as Doctor to Assault 10-Year-Old

A convicted sex offender is back in custody following allegations that he infiltrated an elementary school campus in Phoenix, posed as a medical professional, and sexually assaulted a young female student. Abel Kai Gblah, 25, faces multiple felony charges, including sexual assault, kidnapping, and probation violation, stemming from the incident that occurred earlier this week at Orangewood Elementary School near 19th and Orangewood Avenues.

Phoenix police were dispatched to the school shortly before 12:30 p.m. on a Wednesday. Court documents reveal that Gblah allegedly approached a 10-year-old girl and falsely claimed to be a doctor who needed to "perform tests," then escorted the child into an empty classroom where he allegedly sexually assaulted her. The assault ended when the girl told Gblah to stop and pushed him away, prompting him to leave the school.

Phoenix Police Sgt. Rob Scherer indicated that investigators believe the event was pre-planned, stating, "This is one of those preplanned events and he decided, ‘This is what I’m going to do.'" Rapid response from law enforcement, utilizing an intelligence officer and the real-time operations center, was crucial, as police analyzed recently upgraded surveillance footage. They matched the assailant's clothing, including a distinctive torn patch on the knee of his jeans, leading them to Gblah’s residence within the first hour of the investigation.

Records confirm Gblah is a Tier 2 sex offender who was previously convicted in 2021 for sexual conduct with a minor following a plea deal in which charges of child sex trafficking and luring a minor were dismissed. Although Gblah’s home is 2.1 miles from the school, complying with Arizona’s 1,000-foot residency requirement for the highest-level offenders, a child abuse prevention expert suggested Gblah "should have been a level-three sex offender." Following his arrest, Gblah denied being at the school during his interview with detectives.

School officials later determined Gblah gained unauthorized access to the building by tailgating a student who had been buzzed in through the main entrance, and he was on campus for about ten minutes. The school was placed on lockdown from 12:20 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. An Orangewood employee has since been placed on administrative leave while the investigation continues, and district officials are reviewing safety procedures and deploying security guards for the remainder of the week. The Phoenix Police Department issued a news release ensuring the child and the family "have access to the full range of support services they may need during this difficult time."

This report was compiled using information gathered from law enforcement statements, official press releases, and publicly available news sources.

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