53-year-old Duncan Round has owned Sprouts Children Center in Philadelphia for nearly a decade years. However, police say that there is a darker side to the caretaker’s personality.
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Round was arrested on Wednesday after an investigation led police to believe that he had sexually assaulted at least a boy and a girl, both 5-years-old, on multiple occasions, NBC 10 reports. On Thursday, Round appeared in court where he was arraigned and released after paying $20,000 of his $200,000 bond.
The investigation into the suspect reportedly began on July 25 after the Department of Human Services received reports of the assaults. On Wednesday night, parents learned of the allegations and went to the daycare. One father told NBC 10, “this is beyond repair … I don’t care what they do. I will never send my kids there.”
Some parents defended Round, saying that these allegations were not in character with the man that they knew. One man claimed, “[Sprouts] is a great place. You feel like family here and it’s all just a shame.”
However, there were also stories that foreshadowed the arrest. One woman recalled quitting after being uncomfortable with Round’s behavior another got an eerie feeling while on a tour of the preschool.
He is facing a slew of charges, including sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, unlawful contact with a minor, statutory sexual assault, rape, endangering the welfare of a child, corruption of a minor and indecent exposure.
He has a preliminary hearing scheduled for August 15.