PHOENIX — The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is seeking custody for a convicted sex offender accused of assaulting a young girl at a Phoenix elementary school.
On Wednesday, ICE officials announced they contacted the Maricopa County Jail to lodge a detainer for 25-year-old Abel Kai Gblah, a citizen of Liberia who is in the country legally.
Gblah was arrested last week after gaining access to Orangewood Elementary School and allegedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old student. Glbah left the scene but was later arrested and booked into the Maricopa County Jail.
Gblah is charged with sex assault, abduction, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, and kidnapping a minor with intent to sexually assault.
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"ICE records indicate that this subject is legally residing in the US as a permanent resident and may live and work in the US," said court records.
According to Homeland Security, Gblah entered the U.S. in 2011, was granted a green card, and during this time, he continuously violated the law.
Records reveal Gblah has two prior convictions in 2021 for sexual conduct with a minor.
A statement provided by ICE read, in part, "The moment this criminal alien was arrested for child sex crimes in 2021, he should have become a removal priority."
The Maricopa County Attorney’s Office offered him a plea deal in that case. He was sentenced to lifetime probation and ordered to register as a sex offender. He did not register as a sex offender and failed to follow probation court orders nearly two dozen times, records show.
Court records also show Gblah was accused in a 2019 federal case involving the transportation of undocumented people. However, he also took a plea agreement and ultimately received probation.
He was arrested in September for probation violations and was recently serving jail time related to that offense.
Last week, MCSO told ABC15 that Gblah was released from the Lower Buckeye Jail on November 15, just days before he was arrested for the Orangewood incident.
Glbah is being held on a $500,000 cash-only bond for the new allegations. However, due to his probation violations, a judge ruled that he is not releasable or bondable.
