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Man Jumps School Fences, Allegedly Tries to Lure 7-Year-Old on School Playground 6

Yakine Amar Jones {BSO}

A man is facing multiple charges after deputies said he jumped two fences surrounding the St. Malachy Catholic School playground, frightened students, and attempted to entice a 7-year-old girl before running away when confronted by school staff.

According to a Broward County Sheriff’s Office arrest report, Yakine Amar Jones, 26, of Tamarac, was arrested on May 2 following an investigation into an incident at the school located at 7595 Northwest 61st Street.

Deputies were called to the school after dispatchers received a report of a suspicious person on school grounds. The report stated that a man, later identified as Jones, wearing a black shirt and green basketball shorts, had jumped the school’s perimeter fence and entered the playground area where students were present.

When deputies arrived, they searched the area but were unable to locate Jones.

Detectives later reviewed surveillance video provided by the school that showed Jones jumping over a perimeter fence, then a second fence around the school playground.

Deputies said several students ran away from Jones and appeared “clearly in fear.”

After entering the school grounds, Jones allegedly walked toward the playground and positioned himself behind an exterior wall on the west side. Moments later, a 7-year-old girl approached Jones, and the two appeared to converse, according to the report.

The report states that Jones was seen speaking with the girl while he lifted his shirt slightly and touched the upper pubic area, where the outline of his penis was visible through the material of his shorts, and he had a visible erection.

Deputies alleged that while speaking with the child, Jones made an inappropriate gesture toward his lower body. A school staff member was alerted and confronted him, at which point Jones ran from the campus, heading south toward the area across the street, according to investigators.

The report states the child was later too frightened to recall what Jones had said to her on the playground.

Investigators said City of Tamarac officials later provided additional CCTV footage from nearby Waters Edge Park. According to the report, the footage showed Jones running south through the center of the park about one minute after the school incident, then doubling back toward the park’s parking lot.

Through investigative means, deputies identified Jones’ vehicle and tracked it via a license plate reader near North University Drive and West Commercial Boulevard, less than half a mile from Waters Edge Park.

Investigators said the vehicle was registered to a woman who lived at the same address as Jones. Deputies said Jones also closely matched the person seen on the school and park surveillance videos.

On Friday evening, BSO Tamarac Crime Suppression Team detectives conducted surveillance at Jones’ residence, according to the report. Detectives said they saw Jones leave the home several times while wearing the same clothing seen in the school surveillance footage.

Jones was taken into custody and transported to the Broward County Main Jail, where he is currently held on $36,000 bond.

Deputies noted in the report that Jones had previously been arrested in 2022 by Plantation Police in a case involving allegations of soliciting sex with a minor and obscene communication to lure a child. Broward court records show that the case was later dropped.

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Ryan Yousefi

Ryan Yousefi has lived in Coral Springs for over 30 years. He has worked as a writer for multiples outlets over the years, including the Miami New Times where he has covered sports and culture since 2013. He holds a Bachelor's Degree and a Master's Degree in Business Healthcare Management from Western Governors University.