Texas daycare sex assault victim's father speaks out: 'Just pain, it's a horrible feeling'

LOCKHART, Texas - The Lockhart Police Department has arrested four people in connection to a sexual assault at Children’s Center of Lockhart, also known locally as Connie’s Kidz. 

The father of the victim is speaking out in hopes another child doesn’t experience what he said happened to his daughter.

"How could you," the victim’s father said.

The victim’s father said his 3-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted by a 13-year-old at Connie’s Kidz in Lockhart.

"Just pain, It's a horrible feeling not being able to protect your children," the father said.

The father said the workers at the daycare didn’t protect her. He said he and his wife found out their child was assaulted not from the daycare, but from a Texas Department of Family Protective Services Investigator.

"They didn't report it how they were supposed to, and because there were multiple people trying to hide it," the father said.

Lockhart police arrested four people in connection to the incident. 

• A 13-year-old male was arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a child. His name is not being released.
• Connie Mendoza was arrested for tampering with a witness, obstruction, and failure to make a child abuse report with intent to conceal.
• Christine Amaya was arrested for failure to make a child abuse report with intent to conceal.
• Rafael Santa Maria was arrested for felony tampering with a witness.

"I'm glad to see that people are being arrested, and this case is not being taken lightly, but it doesn't change that it happened," the victim’s father said.

The father said they’re relying on help from family now.

"It's a terrible thought leaving my kids with anybody now," the father said.

He said his daughter may never step foot into another daycare again.

"At first I was really worried, I didn't want to talk to anybody or let anybody know that that was my daughter or anything like that, but at this point, I want everyone to know. I want anybody watching or anything to know, because I don't want this to happen to anybody else's kid," the victim’s father said.

The Children’s Center of Lockhart has a history of reported deficiencies. In the last five year, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission has noted 66 with several having to do with lack of safety.

"There's no telling if this has happened to anybody else or anybody else's child or how many times it had been allowed to happen to our child, or how many times they've covered it up, how many times have they done this before," the victim’s father said.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is working with law enforcement during this investigation. The facility remains closed.