San Jose: 2 families file lawsuit in child care worker molestation case
17.05.12
The families of two young girls who say they were molested by a 26-year-old San Jose child care worker have filed a lawsuit against the day care provider, contending it failed to conduct an adequate background check and maintain proper supervision of the man.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has charged Keith Woodhouse with 30 felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child under 14, accusing him of molesting nine girls between the ages of 5 and 7. The girls were students at Trace Elementary and attended the before- and after-school care program on campus operated by Child Development Inc., which has 160 similar centers statewide.
The lawsuit filed Nov. 4 alleges Child Development Inc. did not conduct a proper background check on Woodhouse before hiring him in 2009. The lawsuit contends that Woodhouse was fired in 2007 from a South Bay church after he reportedly was seen with an erection while holding a young girl in a swimming pool. It does not appear that incident was reported to San Jose police in 2007; investigators learned of the allegation after the accusations surfaced at Trace CDC and El Rancho Verde CDC, according to the District Attorney's Office.
Source: San Jose Mercury News