A West Oak Lane man was sentenced to state prison for grabbing a teen at the Willow Grove Mall

A West Oak Lane man was sentenced this week to 3 ½-to-10 years in state prison for holding a 14-year-old girl against her will at the Willow Grove Mall last summer.

Khalilh Evans, 45, was convicted of false imprisonment of a minor after a two-day trial in April before Montgomery County Court Judge Wendy Rothstein.

As part of his sentence, handed down Wednesday by Rothstein, Evans is barred from going to the mall and must register as a sex offender with the state for 15 years.

Evans’ attorney, Danton Moyer, declined to comment Friday.

The victim testified that Evans and another man approached her at the mall last July while she was shopping. Evans introduced himself to her as “Alex,” asked her to walk with him, then grabbed her arm and led her through the mall.

Evans told the girl he wanted her to put his phone number into her cell phone, and tightened his grip on her arm when she tried to pull away from him, according to her testimony. She said she was frightened during the encounter, and told him she was 13, hoping that by pretending to be younger, she might persuade him to release her.

As the two walked, the other man who was with Evans led them through the mall and appeared to help clear a path for them, according to the affidavit of probable cause for Evans’ arrest. That man was not charged with any crimes.

Eventually, the girl was able to break free from Evans when he momentarily loosened his grip, investigators said. He and the other man then fled.

As Abington Police investigated the case, another woman reported that her daughter, also 14, had been approached by Evans that evening in the mall. Evans gave her daughter a phone number matching a WhatsApp account with the name “Khalil Himm,” the affidavit said.

Evans surrendered to police after media reports that included his picture.

After Evans’ arrest, Abington Police Chief Patrick Molloy criticized what he called the “failed policies” of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, saying Krasner has created “a revolving door, where dangerous felons are let back onto the streets to prey upon our citizens.”

Molloy said Evans never should have been on the street and free to commit the crime at the mall because he had been arrested on gun charges in Philadelphia in 2018 and 2022. But he was freed on bail to await trial in both cases.

Later in 2022, Evans pleaded guilty to theft in Montgomery County and was sentenced to 18-to-23 months, but was paroled in January 2023 by a county judge.