A Gary man — with a 1989 child molesting conviction on his record— was charged Saturday after briefly attending grandparents’ day in October at a Merrillville charter school, court records show.
Stafford Henderson, 66, was charged with one unlawful entry by a serious sex offender.
He has not been apprehended. When arrested, he is ordered held on a $10,000, or $1,000 cash surety bond.
Merrillville Police responded at 10:12 a.m. Oct. 2 to the Higher Institute of Arts and Technology, 5861 Harrison St.
Court documents show Henderson was flagged when his identification card was scanned at the door. He told a security guard he had to use the bathroom, then left before police arrived.
Principal Tensia Johnson told officers Henderson barely got in the door and had no contact with any children.
Henderson received one year of probation in Lake County in February 2023 for failing to register as a sex offender, filings show.
He was convicted in Cobb County, Georgia of molesting an 11-year-old child in 1989. Henderson is required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.
