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South Korean teen banned at 2 school districts arrested
An 18-year-old man who raised concern at schools in two metro Atlanta counties is now behind bars. Gwinnett County Schools took out a warrant on him after investigators say he snuck onto the campus of Seckinger High School last week.
HALL COUNTY, Ga. - A man who sparked safety concerns at multiple high schools in Gwinnett and Hall counties has been arrested, according to the Hall County Sheriff's Office (HCSO).
Dongha Lee, 18, was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon by the HCSO’s Warrant Service Unit at a residence in Flowery Branch. He was booked into the Hall County Jail and placed on a hold for Gwinnett County, which had a warrant for "failure of unauthorized person to check in at designated location upon entering school." An immigration hold was also placed on Lee. He was later transferred to the Gwinnett County Adult Detention Center.
What we know:
The concerns surrounding Lee first surfaced when he visited Seckinger High School in Gwinnett County, prompting school officials to issue him a criminal trespass warning barring him from campus.
According to the arrest warrant issued for Lee, he was inside Seckinger High School on Feb. 28 for 7 minutes before being discovered. The arrest warrant says Lee "did willfully fail to check in at a designated location by entering a secured door, bypassing the normal check in location and bypassing adults while roaming the halls of the school."
Dongha Lee. Courtesy of Hall County Sheriff's Office
According to the field case report from Seckinger High School, when Lee was found wandering the halls, he indicated he was there to see a student. Lee was then taken to the office, given a pass, and escorted to see the student. After the student denied knowing Lee, he was asked to leave and given a trespass warning. Lee then left in an Uber without further incident.
It was also reported that a man matching Lee’s description unsuccessfully attempted to enroll at West Hall High School in Hall County.
RELATED: Gwinnett Schools warns of stranger targeting Seckinger High students
In addition to physically showing up at schools, Lee allegedly contacted students through social media, inviting them to meet him at various locations across Gwinnett County.
RELATED: Hall, Gwinnett counties warn of suspicious man at high schools
What they're saying:
FOX 5 Atlanta spoke to a parent on Wednesday whose freshman daughter, along with her friends, reportedly connected with Lee online and met him at a mall over the weekend.
RELATED: Young man posing as student banned from Gwinnett County Schools
According to Lydia Clark, Lee allegedly told them that he had just started school at Seckinger and bought them expensive fragrance sets and food. "All of this is just incredibly bizarre," Clark said.
After learning from the school that the young man was not a student, Clark posted about the encounter on social media, and it went viral.
She claims that Lee then began asking questions about her, which terrified her.
"There had to be like maybe five to eight police officers that were trying to figure out where this guy was," a woman who did not want her name used in this article told FOX 5. "He leaves frequently and was coming back with bags from like the mall and has a lot of packages delivered here. You know, small packages, big packages, computers. A couple laptops."
"His room door was opened and there was just, you know, it was kind of ransacked a little bit, but there was definitely some stuff in there that just piles of, you know, gifts," the woman added.
What's next:
Lee is being held in the Gwinnett County Adult Detention Center on $2,950 bond. No word on his first appearance.
School officials continue to urge parents and students to be cautious about online interactions and report any suspicious activity to authorities. Local law enforcement is expected to continue monitoring schools in both counties to ensure student safety.