PHOENIX — ABC15 is hearing from the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department for the first time following a major security breach at a Valley elementary school, involving a level two sex offender.
The suspect, Abel Gblah, is now accused of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl while at Orangewood Elementary last week. The probation department said there will be a "thorough review," as state lawmakers demand change and even terminations.
Abel Gblah's criminal history
Abel Gblah's court records say he is legally residing in the United States as a permanent resident. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials told ABC15, he is a "native and citizen of Liberia."
The 25-year-old was first sentenced to probation in a federal case. He was originally accused of being involved in the transportation of illegal aliens.
Gblah took a plea agreement, involving a lesser charge, but was still on probation in 2021 when he was arrested in Maricopa County.
In the county case, he was accused of raping a 16-year-old with autism and cerebral palsy. Gblah, again, accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced to lifetime probation.
Records show the victim, a minor, and their guardian objected to the agreement.
Court documents show years of alleged violations involving his probation. Those accusations include violating an order of protection, using a smartphone, and even being arrested in Florida.
ABC15 read through multiple petitions to revoke probation, the most recent in September of this year.
"I'll try behaving, acting good on probation," Gblah told a Judge at the time.
A Judge sent Gblah to jail for two months, changing his probation from standard to intensive supervised probation.
When he was released this month, court records say he did not immediately contact probation.
Days later, Gblah is accused of the new assault.
Probation department responds
ABC15 sent the county probations department a list of questions last week and received a response on Tuesday. The statement did not answer all the questions ABC15 originally sent.
"While we cannot comment on certain confidential or case-specific details, we hope the following provides general context regarding probation processes.
There is no set number of violations that automatically requires a petition to revoke probation. That decision is based on the nature of the behavior, available interventions, the individual’s history, and the legal options available to the Court. When violation behavior is brought before the Court, the Court may reinstate probation with new conditions or revoke probation and impose a prison sentence. Sentences are defined by statute, are based on the specific counts for which a defendant is convicted, and must include credit for time the individual has already served.
The Judicial Branch and Adult Probation Department leadership takes the issues raised in this case very seriously. We will be conducting a thorough review of the circumstances and processes involved to identify any opportunities to strengthen our systems and improve community safety."
ABC15 did send follow-up questions regarding the department's involvement with Gblah following his release from jail on November 15.
Lawmakers call for change
State Senator Janea Shamp, other lawmakers, and advocates gathered Monday to demand change.
Senator Shamp said there are multiple areas the legislature can look at addressing. When sitting down with ABC15 one-on-one, she said they could look at everything from the sex offender assessment to responses by probation.
Our team asked Senator Shamp for her thoughts on the list of probation violations we've found in court records.
"Quite frankly, when you're talking about someone that's raped a little girl before, and he's on probation, and there's one infraction against probation as a violation, I say roll him up," said Senator Shamp. "Don't take the chance. Why are we not erring on the side of caution here? We're talking about children. This is ridiculous, and that's why I called for the termination of the people that are overseeing this case."
The namesake of Kayleigh's Law, Kayleigh Kozak, also spoke at the press conference. She said she is also now fighting for that 10-year-old girl.
"I think it’s really important that we do not forget about the little girl whose innocence was stolen on that day," said Kozak.
Beth Goulden was recently chosen as the Chairwoman for Arizona's new Sex Offender Management Board. She said there is a need for standards and uniformity for the supervision and treatment of sex offenders.
"I think that this case is so tragic; but if any good, any good, legislatively can come out of it because I think transparency in probation is long overdue," said Goulden.
