Avon daycare closes as civil lawsuits and criminal investigation continue
A BrightPath daycare facility in Connecticut closed its doors for good on Friday following the arrest of a former employee accused of sexually assaulting children and amid multiple civil lawsuits against the daycare.
The closure affects the BrightPath location in Avon, where former employee Jan Carlos Berrios Otero is accused of inappropriately touching 3- to 5-year-old boys during nap time, according to police. Investigators said surveillance video revealed six incidents involving five children over a one-month period.
Families were forced to quickly make alternate childcare arrangements after BrightPath announced the closure last month.
“That facility needed to be closed, based on everything that we have heard, seen, and been told, that facility was beyond repair, far beyond repair,” said Attorney Eric Schoenberg, who is representing some of the children and their families in civil cases against the daycare.
When the closure was announced, Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood also called the shutdown necessary.
Police said the criminal investigation remains ongoing. NBC Connecticut reached out to Berrios Otero’s attorney, but did not receive a response.
Meanwhile, four civil lawsuits have been filed in Hartford alleging the facility and its ownership were negligent in protecting children from Berrios Otero.
“How this was allowed and, in our beliefs, how it was allowed to go on for so long,” said Schoenberg.
In previous statements, BrightPath said it is cooperating with investigators.
“We remain committed to doing everything we can to support the investigations that will help shed light on this matter,” the company said in a previous statement.
NBC Connecticut also reached out to BrightPath for an updated statement, but they had none.
Attorneys involved in the civil cases said they believe there may be additional victims, including children other than boys. They also expect more civil filings and possible additional criminal charges.
Eric Schoenberg, an attorney handling some of the civil cases, said the situation has raised concerns among parents searching for childcare.
“What I saw yesterday was someone adding ‘Safe’ into their description in what they were looking for in Childcare, and it’s a sad commentary into where we are right now.”
Attorney Tim O’Keefe is also representing a client in a civil case against the Daycare company, he released a statement that read “The family that I represent is incredibly grateful for the efforts of the Avon Police Department and State’s Attorney’s Office in investigating and prosecuting this matter. We are committed to making sure that this perpetrator and any others responsible for these heinous acts are brought to justice.”
Attorneys continue to seek potential witnesses in the case, either family members or former employees of the Avon facility.
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