CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 3-year-old boy was allegedly sexually assaulted at a day care facility in east Charlotte, according to a police report filed with the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department.
Investigators are working to determine if the boy was assaulted at 4920 East W.T. Harris Boulevard, which WCNC Charlotte found to be the address for Castles Daycare Academy. Child care facilities of different names also appear to have used this address in previous years. According to the police report, CMPD was made aware of an alleged assault, which reportedly occurred between the dates of Jan. 10 and Feb. 15. The report identified the victim only as a 3-year-old boy.
WCNC Charlotte called the day care. The woman who answered the phone denied the allegations, calling them a lie. She claimed the employee accused of the assault had worked at the facility for a year. The woman on the phone declined to say whether the worker was still employed there. The child has reportedly not returned to the day care, according to the woman on the phone.
Castles Daycare Academy is an accredited day care inspected regularly by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. The facility was first given a temporary license in July 2024 after moving to this location. The current first was warded in September 2024 with the last inspection coming unannounced in August 2024. The facility received 13 total violations during the August inspection.
While none of those violations are related to sexual assault, some point to the possibility of putting a child into a potentially dangerous environment. For example, the day care was found to be in violation because employees did not review a policy regarding shaken baby syndrome and abuse head trauma. Additionally, the day care was cited for not providing a safe environment -- indoor and outdoor -- for the children. The inspection also found a toxic plant accessible to children. The inspection also noted fire drills were not practiced monthly.
State inspections of child care facilities can be viewed on the websites for the North Carolina DHHS or South Carolina Child Care.
