Janitor had improper contact with girl at school, Suffolk police say

An 18-year-old janitor at a Shirley elementary school was arrested there Friday and charged with endangering the welfare of a child after, Suffolk police said, he gave his phone number to a 7-year-old girl and asked her if she had access to the internet.

The defendant, whose name was withheld by authorities because he is being charged as a juvenile, was employed by the Suffolk County Department of Labor and working at John S. Hobart Elementary School, police said.

Police said the defendant had a conversation with the student on Thursday, when authorities said he asked about her internet access and provided his phone number. But police also said the defendant had left “notes of adoration” in her desk over a period of time before the exchange on Thursday.

The defendant was being held overnight at the Seventh Precinct and is scheduled to be arraigned on Saturday at First District Court in Central Islip, police said.

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