Trending

Report: Man dressed as elf at school Christmas photo shoot is sex offender

A man who dressed as an elf for a Christmas photo shoot at an elementary school was later reported as a sex offender.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A man who dressed as an elf and took Christmas photos with children at an Arkansas elementary has been revealed as a sex offender, KARK reported.

Joshua Duvall was arrested by Pulaski County sheriff’s deputies on Wednesday, the television station reported. He faces a charge of being a registered offender on a school campus, according to court records.

Friday, the Pulaski County Special School District announced changes to its school visitor scanning process, KARK reported.

The television station, citing a report filed with the sheriff's office, said Duvall dressed as an elf and went with a man dressed as Santa Claus at Lawson Elementary in Little Rock on Dec. 18. The man dressed as Santa was known to school staff and is a grandparent to one of the school's students, KARK reported.

The man dressed as an elf was reported as a sex offender by a parent to the school’s principal. The principal reported the information to school district officials, but “no actions were taken” until the principal filed a report with deputies, according to the sheriff’s office.

The Pulaski County Special School District Superintendent Charles McNulty released a statement, saying the Dec. 18 event “fell outside of our normal process of vetting personnel that we allow on district property.”

McNulty added that vetting processes will be followed for all visitors to “ensure our students’ safety.