Crime & Safety

Suspect in Attempted Child Abduction Held to Answer in Court

Bradley Mrozek, 25, allegedly entered a girl's bathroom at a San Mateo school last year and grabbed a student, covered her mouth with his hand, and carried her off campus.

A man who allegedly trespassed on multiple San Mateo school campuses and briefly abducted a 9-year-old girl last September was held to answer on all charges against him in court on Thursday.

Bradley Mrozek, 25, is accused of walking onto three campuses on Sept. 21 including Parkside Elementary School, where he entered a girl's bathroom and grabbed a student, covered her mouth with his hand, and carried her off campus, District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe said.

On Thursday, Mrozek's defense attorney and the district attorney's office waived Mrozek's preliminary hearing and the court held Mrozek to answer on all charges against him in San Mateo County Superior Court.

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New DNA evidence prompted the district attorney's office to change one of the charges against Mrozek from committing a lewd act on a child to committing a sexual act with a child under the age of 10, Wagstaffe said.

In the Sept. 21 incident, the girl was able to fight off her abductor by kicking him and throwing rocks, and she ran back to the school campus and immediately reported the incident.

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Police responded and identified Mrozek as a possible suspect in two other incidents that occurred at separate schools earlier the same day, Wagstaffe said.

At Bayside STEM Academy -- a middle school in San Mateo -- Mrozek allegedly trespassed on campus and made contact with as many as four students, making lewd comments to two girls and offering alcohol to two boys, according to prosecutors.

Mrozek is also believed to have trespassed at Horrall Elementary School, where he was escorted off campus by an administrator.

After Mrozek was arrested on Sept. 22, investigators connected him to a fourth incident that took place in March at George Washington Elementary School in Daly City, Wagstaffe said.

In that incident, a man went into a girl's bathroom on campus and tried to take pictures of girls using the facilities from a stall, prosecutors said. The girls heard clicking noises and immediately reported it to a teacher.

When the teacher entered the bathroom and ordered the person to come out, a male suspect ran out of the facility, Wagstaffe said. Prosecutors believe Mrozek was the intruder, he said.

Mrozek now faces a total of 18 separate charges, including child molestation, kidnapping, child annoyance, attempting to possess child pornography and offering alcohol to a minor, Wagstaffe said.

Mrozek, a San Francisco resident, remains in custody without bail. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is due back in court on March 8 for his superior court arraignment.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

 

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