An Upper Marlboro, Maryland, man accused of raping a 12-year-old-girl was working a construction job at Wheaton High School despite a history of felony charges.

James Allen Booker’s past convictions for robbery and drug distribution should have barred him from being on school property or being in contact with students.

Montgomery County Public Schools sent letters on Monday to families of students at Wheaton High School and Thomas Edison High School of Technology informing them of the arrest of Booker, 59, on May 28.

Booker was working for a construction contractor working on the Wheaton High School fields, the letter said.

Police said Booker gave a ride to a girl walking in a thunderstorm on May 28. She accepted, and police said he assaulted her in his car outside her home.

The victim was not a student at either high school, but police said she was walking home from classes when Booker pulled up and offered to drive her home. They did not know each other, police said.

Booker is charged with second-degree rape and a third-degree sex offense.