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Abel Kai Gblah Held on $500,000 Bond in Orangewood Elementary Assault

Investigators cite surveillance video alongside matching clothing found at his home.

Overview

  • Police say the 25-year-old entered the Phoenix campus during school hours posing as a doctor and lured a 10-year-old into an empty classroom.
  • Court records describe the assault, the child's resistance, and the suspect fleeing before officers responded and later arrested him at his residence.
  • The principal said he slipped through an unlocked lobby door with a tardy student; a staffer is on leave as the district retrains and tightens access procedures.
  • Gblah is a convicted sex offender with a 2021 guilty plea and reported probation, and the county attorney said she will review the charging and plea process.
  • He faces counts of sexual assault, kidnapping, and a probation violation allegation, while district security remains on campus and victim services are in place.