COLUMBIA (AP) — A man who told officers he was visiting Columbia schools to “bless them” has pleaded guilty to first-degree trespassing.
KMIZ-TV reported 53-year-old Kelvin Joe, of Columbia, was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation after entering the plea Wednesday.
Joe was given a warning in April, when he offered money to a student at Gentry Middle School from the passenger side of a black Mercedes. Court records say he told officers he wasn’t trying to lure the student into the car but was giving the student money as a “blessing.” The vehicle was spotted at a Christian school the same day.
He was arrested a week later after his vehicle was seen at West Middle School. That’s when he said he was visiting area schools to “bless them.”