COLUMBUS, Ohio — A former day cay care worker in the Columbus-area has entered a not guilty plea after being indicted by a Franklin County jury on one count of gross sexual imposition earlier this week.
David Cantrell, 30, is accused of engaging in sexual conduct with a 4-year-old girl at The Nest Schools day care and preschool on Dempsey Road in Westerville.
Cantrell was taken into custody on Wednesday and later released on a $35,000 bond. In addition to his bond, the judge ordered no unsupervised contact with minors.
After Cantrell’s appearance Friday in the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas, a Westerville officer told 10TV that the department received 35 calls from parents about Cantrell who are concerned about their child’s contact with him. The department will be following up for further discussions with two of the families who called.
The indictment says Cantrell had sexual contact with a child younger than 13 years old at the day care between March 28, 2022, and Sept. 1, 2022. Police were notified of the alleged incident by Nationwide Children's Hospital.
The City of Westerville confirmed that Cantrell was employed at The Nest Schools and worked at other day care facilities in the area, but did not provide additional information.
The Nest Schools released a statement, confirming that Cantrell's employment was terminated at the facility.
"The health and safety of our children are always our number one priority. David Cantrell has not been a part of any Nest program for over ten months. Upon learning of the allegation, he was immediately placed on leave and subsequently terminated," the statement read. "While we have no information to add, we will continue to support the investigating agencies as appropriate."