LI School Janitor Left Love Notes In 7-Year-Old Girl's Desk: Cops

SHIRLEY, NY – A Long Island elementary school janitor was arrested on Friday for engaging in "inappropriate communications" with a 7-year-old student, Suffolk Police said.

An 18-year-old janitor, employed through the Suffolk County Department of Labor, working at John S. Hobart Elementary School in Shirley, engaged in a face-to-face conversation with a 7-year-old girl on Thursday and inquired about her access to the internet and electronic means of communication, police said.

The janitor, of Riverhead, then gave the student his telephone number and told her to contact him, police said.

Following an investigation by Seventh Precinct Crime Section officers, it was revealed the man had left notes of adoration in the student’s desk prior to the in-person conversation, police said.

The janitor was arrested at the school at 10:42 a.m. Friday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child. Police said they are not releasing his name since he is under the age of 19 and thus eligible for youthful offender status, meaning a judge can declare court records confidential and sealed.

The janitor will be held overnight at the Seventh Precinct and arraigned on October 5 at First District Court in Central Islip.

"We are beyond furious that an 18-year old adult male custodian employed at our school through the Department of Labor Youth Employment Program left inappropriate handwritten notes for a student," the William Floyd School District said in a statement. "When we learned that this occurred, we immediately removed him from his post and worked collaboratively with the police department to ensure they had all of the information they needed to make an arrest."

Police are asking anyone who may have had similar contact with the janitor to call the Seventh Precinct Crime Section at 631-852-8726.