School in San Mateo holds meeting after kidnapping

SAN MATEO, Calif. (KGO) -- At a meeting this morning at Parkside Elementary School in San Mateo, concerned parents demanded answers of police and school district officials after a nine-year-old girl was kidnapped and molested.

"It's always emotional when you hear the parents speak and obviously the emotions of what could have happened -- something much more tragic," said San Mateo Police Dep. Chief Mike Callagy.

About 150 concerned parents came with questions for Callagy and School District Superintendent Cynthia Simms.

"I have two children that go to school here and my husband came and picked them up from school that afternoon and he had no clue that had even happened and we didn't find out until 5:30 that evening," said parent Heather Littleton.

"It was important that the information that was put out to our families was correct and accurate and so we waited until we had correct and accurate information and released it with the police department" said Molly Barton of the San Mateo/Foster City School District.

This morning's meeting was sparked by the molestation and kidnapping of a 9-year-old girl last Friday. Police say 25-year-old Bradley Mrozek groped the girl in the bathroom, put his hand over her mouth and carried her away. After he'd put her down and as they were about to enter a nearby house, she kicked, threw rocks and ran back to school. Stranger danger was the lesson of the day at Parkside Elementary.

"I would drop down and scream as loud as I can," said student Mercedes Alusa.

Police say Mrozek made two other stops on Friday before this one; at STEM Academy, offering vodka to two girls. Police say before that, he'd been kicked off campus at Horral Elementary by an administrator. Changes are coming to Parkside Elementary.

"Do we make it look like a gated community in more of a prison than a school, that is a fine line and something that we will talk about," said Barton.

A company is installing a fence and all the gates to the school will now be lockable.

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san mateo, foster city, children, crime, peninsula news, terry mcsweeney

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