Johnson County daycare operator accused of sexually abusing pre-schoolers: affidavit
A Johnson County man who helped run a small daycare in Lenexa faces six counts of felony child sex abuse involving four preschool-age girls.
Gary Allan Babbitt, 57, of Lenexa, is charged with five counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and a single count of aggravated criminal sodomy in Johnson County District Court. He is currently being held in the Johnson County jail on a $100,000 bond.
The charges come after one alleged victim told her mother that he frequently molested her during naptime.
A defense attorney for Babbitt declined The Star’s request for comment.
The alleged crimes occurred at the Bright Futures Child Care and Education Day Care Home, a small facility that until recently was licensed by the state.
According to an affidavit released Wednesday, Lenexa police began investigating after a report was made Jan. 13 by the mother of a girl Babbitt allegedly abused.
The girl, born in 2017, told her mother that Babbitt had forced her on several occasions to “lick his tail.” She also described an occasion where her pants were pulled down and she was made to sit on his lap.
“Mommy, he’s a bad man,” the little girl told her mother, according to the affidavit.
Detectives interviewed Babbitt after the report was made. He allegedly admitted that he had shown at least one of the girls his penis and believed she may have touched it. He also said there were other girls that he would “tickle” in the bathroom and playroom, the affidavit says.
The youngest child referenced in the court documents was born in 2019.
Two other children participated in forensic interviews. One described the touching to authorities. Another did not provide any information, the affidavit says.
During his interview with police, Babbitt allegedly contended the girls enjoyed being touched. He later admitted that he knew what he was doing was inappropriate, the affidavit says.
State records show the daycare’s license is in the name of Babbitt’s wife. The license was suspended last month following an emergency administrative order issued Jan. 19, according to records with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, which regulates daycare facilities.
