Parrish day care owner sexually abused abused teen employees, Manatee deputies say
.jpg "The owner of a Parrish day care center has been charged with sexually abusing underage employees, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.")
The owner of a day care center in Parrish has been charged with sexually abusing two teenage girls who worked for him, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Wednesday.
Country Cubs Day Care owner Sanjay Das, 58, was arrested on felony charges of lewd and lascivious molestation and lewd and lascivious touching of certain minors after deputies carried out a search warrant Tuesday.
Deputies did not disclose the exact age of the teenage employees, but the charges indicate that one victim was between the ages of 12 and 15 years old and the other victim was 16 or 17 years old.
Under Florida law, lewd and lascivious molestation occurs when an adult touches a victim’s private area or forces a victim to touch the perpetrator’s private area.
The sheriff’s office said its Crimes Against Children unit began investigating the day care center last summer after detectives received an allegation of Das inappropriately touching an employee.
The sheriff’s office said detectives spent several months interviewing employees and spoke with another girl who had a similar experience with Das while working at the day care.
Parrish day care owner faces sexual abuse charges
As of Wednesday morning, Das was in the Manatee County Jail awaiting a court appearance, according to the sheriff’s office website.
The Country Cubs Day Care center is at 122294 U.S. 301 North in Parrish.
According to family care website care.com, the center has a capacity of 65 students and accepts children ages 1 through 4.
The Bradenton Herald reached a Country Cubs manager by phone on Wednesday, but she declined to comment on the allegations against the day care owner. The manager also declined to comment on whether the business remained open Wednesday morning.
A post on Country Cub’s Facebook page in November denied “specious allegations” against the owner, whom it referred to as “Sonny.”
The post did not disclose the nature of the allegations but attempted to discredit a former employee who made them. It also referenced a September 2023 lawsuit that Das filed against the employee.
According to court records, Das is seeking $50,000 in damages for lost revenue as a result of the former employee’s statements. As of Wednesday, the lawsuit is still pending.
This story was originally published January 31, 2024 at 11:21 AM.