Virginia

Parents Upset Virginia Preschool Back Open After Teacher Plead Guilty to Sexually Abusing Children

Taylor Boykin admitted molesting four girls; prosecutors say at least 15 victims were touched improperly

What to Know

  • A victim told her mother Boykin touched her inappropriately in March.
  • Investigators identified four victims of molestation and at least 15 of improper touching, prosecutors said.
  • Prosecutors also said Boykin took inappropriate photos of children with his smart watch.

A day care in Prince William County, Virginia, has reopened just a few months after a worker there pleaded guilty to molesting preschoolers.

Parents of some of the victims said they are outraged taht Minnieland Academy in Bristow is back open.

They started sharing photos with each other a few weeks ago when they noticed the lights were back on at Minnieland.

"I was appalled, completely appalled they were going to open," Jennifer, a parent of one of the victims, said Friday.

Taylor Keith Boykin, 27, pleaded guilty in October to 14 charges of sexually abusing children in his care and taking inappropriate photos of them.

Minnieland's Bristow location had closed in June because of parents taking their children out of the program.

Jennifer and other parents say the reopening is concerning.

"You’d think there’d at least be some courtesy to let the parents know. There’s nothing. And so, it just -- the callousness of it," she said. "It just seems like they don’t care and if they don’t care, then I’d be worried this is going to happen again."

"We certainly understand and respect that there are families that this has been traumatic for and are very sorry for what they have had to deal with," said Mark Hubbard, who represents Minnieland's owners. They operate 54 centers that provide care to 5,000 children.

Hubbard said the owners had tried to find a new tenant for the facility, but weren't successful.

He said the shopping center's owner didn't like the empty space.

"They are holding us to the contract we have with them and the landlord is pushing us to reopen because they want the retail activity in their shopping center complex," Hubbard said.

Boykin admitted to sexually molesting four girls, but prosecutors also revealed as many as 15 children were victims of improper touching by Boykin.

The mother of a girl enrolled at the Minnieland Academy in Bristow sparked the investigation in March when she saw Boykin's strange behavior near the playground slide and asked her 5-year-old daughter what was happening. She told her Boykin, who the children called Mr. Taylor, tickled her all over her body, including her private parts, according to the prosecution.

Boykin would reach into the tube of the slide and sexually assault them, telling them he was tickling them, according to the prosecution. Often he pulled down their pants and underwear and took photos with his smart watch. Investigators found 120 images.

The mother told Child Protective Services, and police began an investigation, quickly identifying other victims.

Police arrested Boykin April 20. Boykin confessed to police, saying, "I knew I shouldn't have been tickling there. I knew I shouldn't have been in that area."

In court Monday, it was revealed another mother first reported improper behavior to the director of Minnieland in 2016. Another teacher told the director in January 2018 she saw Boykin tickling children between the legs, and that same month, the lead kindergarten teacher told the director Boykin made improper comments about children's pants being pulled down.

Boykin pleaded guilty to charges including indecent liberties, aggravated sexual battery and production of child pornography.

Boykin faces life in prison at sentencing in March. Some victims' parents will take the stand at sentencing to tell the judge how the crimes affected their daughters.

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