A 29-year-old sex offender accused of posing as a homeless 17-year-old to enroll in high school told police they wanted ‘the full experience’

A registered sex offender from Oregon is in custody in Minnesota after allegedly trying to enroll in a high school while posing as a homeless 17-year-old. Makayla Craig, 29, now faces three felony forgery charges, including two counts of aggravated forgery. It is not the first time Craig has allegedly tried to pass as a teenager to get into a school.

Maple Grove police located Craig in a public parking ramp on October 20, after staff at Maple Grove Senior High School, northwest of Minneapolis, became suspicious of an enrollment application and contacted police. Craig was formally charged on October 22. According to charging documents reported by KARE 11, Craig used the name “Molly” and claimed to be a homeless youth from Oregon.

When questioned, Craig allegedly said they had never attended school and wanted to “get the full experience” of high school. Craig also reportedly told investigators about being worried they might be mistaken for Makayla Craig, a registered sex offender out of Oregon.

Police say Craig never became a student at the school

Maple Grove police later addressed the incident publicly, making clear that Craig never completed enrollment at the school. Craig was never present on campus as a student or in any online classes, and police credited school staff for flagging the application.

A judge set Craig’s bail at $200,000 without conditions or $100,000 with conditions during a court appearance on Friday, October 23. Those conditions include no contact with minors, staying at least three blocks from any school, and no contact with Maple Grove Senior High School.

The allegations closely resemble an earlier case in Oregon. According to CBS News, Craig contacted a school district there claiming to be a homeless 15-year-old named “Madison” and later showed up at the school in person.

Craig has a prior conviction involving a minor

Craig pleaded guilty in the Oregon enrollment case and was sentenced to 40 days in jail, KARE 11 reported, citing its sister station KGW. Separately, Craig has been a registered sex offender in Oregon following a 2023 conviction involving a minor, according to the criminal complaint.

The case has also raised questions about how schools check enrollment applications, particularly when a student says they are homeless. Craig’s paperwork allegedly cited the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, a federal law that requires schools to immediately enroll students seeking homeless education protections, even without documentation, while officials verify eligibility, as FOX 9 reported.

That can leave school officials with a difficult balance: making sure displaced students can attend school without delay while also checking for warning signs when an application raises concerns. In Craig’s case, staff at Maple Grove flagged the application before Craig was enrolled.