Lawsuit to be filed against Avon daycare following sexual assault allegations
A lawsuit is being filed on Wednesday against an Avon daycare where an employee was arrested and charged with sexual assault and risk of injury to a child.
Jan Carlos Berrios-Otero, 29, was arrested April 1 after an administrator of the BrightPath Avon Early Learning and Child Care Center contacted police and said she believed an incident between Berrios-Otero and a child had occurred inside the center on Simsbury Road.
He no longer works there.
Attorney Tim O’Keefe is representing the family of the alleged victim.
“The courage of this child and their family in coming forward cannot be overstated,” O’Keefe said in a statement. “It is our hope that this lawsuit will not only bring justice for the case, but also prompt stronger safeguards, better oversight and greater responsibility across childcare providers.”
Following the arrest, BrightPath said, “We took immediate action, which included reporting to the Avon Police Department, the state licensing agency, and the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and we are cooperating with law enforcement and all relevant agencies through appropriate legal processes.
The individual involved is no longer employed by BrightPath.
The safety and well-being of every child entrusted to our care is, and always will be, our highest priority. We hold our educators to strong professional and ethical standards, and we take any conduct that may be inconsistent with those standards very seriously.”
NBC Connecticut Investigates has reached out to BrightPath to see if it has a comment on the potential filing of a lawsuit. We have not heard back from BrightPath.
Since the arrest last week, additional families have come forward with complaints, and Avon police are actively conducting several additional investigations, according to Police Chief Neil Dryfe.
Investigators ask that anyone with related information contact the Avon Police Department’s Detective Division at 860-409-4230.
Berrios-Otero is due back in court on April 14.
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