Child sex crime defendant also worked at this daycare

Besides tending to children at Wichita YMCA Kid Zones and a church preschool, Caleb Gaston also worked at a Derby childcare center.

But unlike at those two other locations, there are no allegations that Gaston harmed any children at the Derby Scribbles and Giggles, owner Misti Stephen said Thursday night.

Gaston, 21, is in jail after being arrested Wednesday outside his Derby home on suspicion of aggravated indecent liberties with a 3-year-old girl. That case will be presented to prosecutors Friday. He had already been charged with raping a 4-year-old girl on Jan. 29. Both alleged crimes occurred at the Downtown YMCA Kid Zone where he worked, near Central and Broadway.

He had been a part-time worker for the YMCA for five years, first at the East Kid Zone and later at the Downtown Kid Zone. Kid Zones are where parents can leave their children while they exercise. He also worked at Plymouth Learning Center, a church preschool in Wichita’s College Hill neighborhood. The preschool fired him in October following a complaint that he inappropriately touched a child. The state and police investigated. No charges were filed.

Gaston worked at the Derby Scribbles and Giggles location from January through March 2017, and it fired him because of attendance problems, Stephen said.

But at the Derby center, he had no issues involving child safety, she said.

During his hiring, Stephen said, “The Y spoke highly of him.” At that point, he had four years of experience at the Kid Zone.

Her business notified parents “when we found out the news” of the sex-crime allegations.

She said she’s not aware of any complaints about him at the Derby center. “There’s a lot of parents that are questioning,” Stephen said. But, “there’s nothing there.”

Police have contacted her to confirm that Gaston worked there.

All of her centers have a “very open concept” where everything involving the children can be seen and heard, she said. The bathroom has windows; the door stays open.

The business reviews its cameras and spotted nothing involving Gaston, she said.

“And there was cameras on him at all times, and he knew that too.”

She’s open to preventive measures for the future, Stephen said. She expects to be getting ideas from a psychologist who has dealt with sex offenders on how to help unmask someone during the interview process who has “the wrong intentions for being there – especially if they don’t have a previous record.”

This story was originally published February 9, 2018 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Child sex crime defendant also worked at this daycare."