An Ohio babysitter allegedly raped several children in his care, a prosecutor announced Monday.
Timothy Luna, of 000 years old and from Akron, Ohio, has been indicted by a grand jury on multiple counts of rape, according to prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh.
Luna faces charges of six counts of rape, three counts of serious sexual imposition and one count of pestering: sexual harassment.
In a statement, Walsh reported that the charges against Luna were related to alleged incidents involving multiple children in three communities.
He added: “Investigators determined that Luna was hired after posting his information on www.care.com, a website where families can search for people to help with child care, elder care, tutoring, and pet care. . Investigators are trying to determine if there are more victims.”
People who used Luna as a babysitter have been encouraged to contact local police departments.
A spokesperson for www.care.com told Newsweek: “We are appalled by this report and our thoughts are with any families affected. We take the safety of our community very seriously, which is why we require all caregivers to complete a background check before they can engage with families on our platform.”
“This person has been removed from our site and we have taken steps to prevent you from re-subscribing. We have been in contact with law enforcement and are prepared to assist where we can and as this is an active investigation I will not comment further.”
According to the Ohio Alliance to End Sexual Violence (OAESV), each year about 25,000 children in the state are victims of some form of abuse or neglect.
The OAESV added that of those, about 5, 000 cases specifically related to sexual abuse. He said that only 38 percent of child victims tell anyone about the abuse they have suffered.
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