A 29-year-old registered sex offender tried to enroll at a Minnesota high school by posing as a homeless 17-year-old girl, and the only reason it did not work is that the school staff thought the application smelled wrong and called the police.
The application for Maple Grove Senior High School, outside Minneapolis, came in under the name Molly Lennox Fox. It claimed a 17-year-old homeless youth from Oregon with no ID, cited the federal McKinney-Vento law that protects homeless students, and pushed for immediate enrollment, according to the criminal complaint. The applicant even warned staff that the student looked older than 17, so nobody would get concerned at the meeting.
A school district employee flagged the application on October 19 and tipped off a school resource officer. Police arrested the applicant the next day in a public parking ramp and identified the defendant as Makayla Craig, 29. Police say Craig never completed enrollment and never set foot on campus.
“Craig never completed enrollment with Maple Grove Senior High School, and he was never present on campus as a student or in any online classes.”
Maple Grove Police Department
According to the complaint, Craig kept the story going in the interview room, still claiming to be Molly Fox and saying attending school in person was the way to “get the full experience.” Craig also told officers there was a worry about being mistaken for Makayla Craig, a registered sex offender from Oregon. That is exactly who police say Craig is.
Craig is charged in Hennepin County with three felony forgery counts and is being held on $50,000 bail. And this is a rerun: in April 2025, Craig got 40 days in jail in Oregon for posing as a 15-year-old homeless girl named Madison while trying to register at a high school in Albany with fake documents, according to KGW. Craig became a registered sex offender after a May 2023 conviction in a case where the victim appeared to be a minor.
Police say no inappropriate contact with students has been reported in the Minnesota case, the investigation is still active, and the new forgery charges are allegations that have not been proven in court.
SEE ALSO
- Boosie Badazz’s Son Ivy Hatch, 18, Arrested on Armed Robbery and Battery Charges in Louisiana, Bond Set at $275,500
- A Richmond Man Allegedly Taped His Wife to a Chair in the Basement So He Could Watch Football in Peace, and Now He Is Facing a Felony
- ‘Ugh, They Are Black’: A Queens Broker Sent That Text to the Black Couple Touring Her Listing. Now They’re Suing