According to an affidavit, a four-year-old was sexually abused by an employee at Woodward Daycare while at work

A Woodward daycare worker was arrested for sexually abusing a 4-year-old girl while the suspect was at work, court documents say.

Police arrested 19-year-old Tyler Anthony Kniest on Tuesday on a child sexual abuse complaint, according to the affidavit. He was held on $250,000 bond and was banned from having contact with children.

Kniest was an employee at Boomer Kids Club, a daycare and after-school program on Cherry Avenue in Woodward. The affidavit states that Kniest sexually abused a four-year-old girl, who then told her mother.

The 4-year-old victim said Kniest touched her buttocks during her nap, the affidavit states. The child’s parents then immediately went to the daycare center and requested video surveillance.

The daycare operator contacted Kniest’s mother, who also worked at the daycare. The mother said Kniest confessed that he touched the 4-year-old inappropriately, the affidavit states.

According to the affidavit, police viewed surveillance video from Kniest’s classroom, which showed the suspect lying next to the victim during a nap. The suspect then sexually abused her, the document says. The details of the alleged crime are too graphic to be included in this article.

News 9 went to the Boomer Kids Club to see if anyone would be willing to comment. But the door was locked and although News 9 rang the doorbell several times, no one answered.

The daycare later texted News 9 a statement.

“We are working closely with the relevant authorities and agencies and cannot comment on an ongoing investigation. As always, the safety of our children is our top priority,” the daycare’s statement said.

Additionally, the daycare told News 9 that Kniest was immediately terminated and his mother no longer works there.

Police said forensic interviews would be conducted on three additional children on Friday to determine whether they were Kniest’s victims. In total, around seven families contacted the police with concerns.

A family told News 9 they believe their 1-year-old granddaughter may have been sexually abused at daycare. They said several families were not informed by the daycare about the incident.

A parent showed News 9 a message he received from the daycare that mentioned “an incident” had occurred and that law enforcement and Oklahoma Human Services were involved. The daycare also said in its release that classrooms will be combined to employ two teachers per class and that office staff will begin random sleep checks in addition to close video monitoring.

Police said they believe Kniest was the only suspect. They said Oklahoma Human Services is also investigating.