An employee at a day care in Virginia will remain in custody without bond after a prosecutor revealed he has at least one additional victim, bringing the total number of victims to five.
Police arrested Taylor Keith Boykin, 27, of Nokesville April 20 after a victim told her mother an assistant teacher at Minnieland Academy in Bristow inappropriately touched her on March 26, police said.
During a bond hearing Monday morning, Lauren Pomerantz, an assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, said the allegations against Boykin date back to October 2016, more than a year before Boykin's most recent victim came forward.
Investigators also found inappropriate photos of children on Boykin's phone, Pomerantz said.
Prosecutors also told the judge other teachers had concerns about Boykin and tried to keep him from interacting with children coming down the slide on the playground.
Parents of Minnieland students left the courthouse visibly shaken Monday.
After the mother of the first known victim told the day care center and Child Protective Services that her daughter had been touched inappropriately, an investigation uncovered inappropriate touching dating to March 2017, police said.
“Through our investigation we also identified three additional victims,” said "Prince William County police spokesman Jonathan Perok. “They’re all females; they’re all 5 years old.”
Boykin has been charged with four counts each of aggravated sexual battery, object sexual penetration and indecent liberties by a custodian and is being held without bond.
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"It's a continuing investigation," Prince William County Commonwealth's Attorney Paul Ebert said. "We anticipate other people will come forward, that's been the case to some degree so far."
The parents who spoke to News4 last week said while none of their children was under Boykin's care, Minnieland failed by not being forthcoming to parents.
“They didn’t inform us,” said Nusrat Nayeem, the mother of a Minnieland student. “They didn’t inform any of us.”
Boykin's attorney, Robert Jenkins, says the allegations against his client have not been substantiated.
Complete statement from Minnieland Academy founders Chuck and Jackie Leopold:
“We at Minnieland Academy are shocked and horrified by the recent allegations and we are relieved that a Prince William County court has denied bond for our former teacher aide, Taylor Boykin. We believe Mr. Boykin should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law for violating the trust of the parents and children we serve. We know we have work to do to rebuild trust within the community as we fulfill our mission to ensure a safe and nurturing environment. We have fully cooperated with investigative authorities and we will continue to do so. In light of this horrific event we have reviewed our operations and protocols to ensure that the children in our care are as safe as possible. In addition to our own review, we will be retaining an independent authority to conduct a comprehensive review of all our policies and practices. We are offering counseling to parents and children on identifying abuse, and we pledge to be open and transparent about any additional improvements. Again, we sincerely apologize for the distress that this ordeal has caused. We understand some families may choose to select another provider going forward, and we are waiving any notification requirement as well as refunding any pre-paid deposits for terminating service with Minnieland Academy at Bristow for the remainder of 2018.”
