MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA – A daycare facility located in Lansdale, Pennsylvania, has accumulated unsavory national attention, along with the revocation of their license to operate, after a 47-year-old employee of the childcare facility was arrested this past July regarding allegations of physically abusing the children enrolled.
According to a press release from the Upper Gwynedd Police Department (UGPD), 47-year-old Daniel Patrick Riley self-surrendered to authorities on July 30th after a warrant was secured for his arrest regarding allegations of physically abusing children enrolled at the Little Lamb Daycare facility where he worked.
Police began investigating Riley this past March after numerous reports were filed “from victim families and witnesses of Riley’s conduct,” according to the UGPD press release, outlining allegations of several instances of children being harmed at the hands of Riley. The suspect, who reportedly worked as an assistant director and teacher at the daycare facility, is also the son of the woman who reportedly owns and operates the now-effectively shuttered business.
Among the alleged acts of abusing children cited by police include stomping on a child’s ankle causing a fracture, dragging an autistic child across the floor resulting in injuries consistent with a rug burn for purportedly singing too much, snatching a child by the arm from the floor which caused an abrasion, grabbing a child from under the chin and squeezing their face for failing to be quiet, and pushing a child’s face into a desk and restraining their arms to enforce a “timeout.”
Alongside the alleged physical abuse, authorities claim witnesses described mental and emotional abuse carried out by Riley, claiming he would routinely enforce “unreasonable duration of ‘timeouts’” and would excessively yell at the children.
Police say cameras were stationed in the preschool room where much of the alleged abuse occurred, but when authorities obtained a warrant to seize the recorded footage from said cameras, approximately 58 video files were found to have been deleted. Per the criminal complaint, authorities claim Riley used his personal cellphone to access the camera system to delete the aforementioned files.
Riley has since been charged with one count of felony aggravated assault of a minor under 6, four counts of felony endangering welfare of children, two counts of misdemeanor simple assault, one count of misdemeanor tampering with evidence, and three counts of summary harassment. Bail for the defendant was reportedly set at $25,000.
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