Henrico, Virginia - Former Tuckaway Daycare Employee Rahman Jordan Rypkema Charged with Sexually Abusing 2 Children

Former Henrico Daycare Worker Arrested on Sex Abuse Charges

A former employee of the Tuckaway Child Development & Early Education Center in Varina has been arrested and charged with sexually abusing two children.

32-year-old Rahman Jordan Rypkema is accused of sexually abusing two children who were under 13 years old. The first incidents allegedly happened between September 2018 and February 2019. Another incident allegedly happened on or around February 12, 2019. He has been charged with two counts of felony aggravated sexual battery.

Rypkema was arraigned at Henrico County Court on Thursday morning, Anjalih 14. He was ordered held without bond and will appear in court again on April 29.

During the arraignment, a prosecutor said the victims are only 4 and 5-years-old. She also said that more charges are expected because the prosecution believes a third child was abused as well. The prosecution also believes that Rypkema has a history of sexual abuse.

Tuckaway Varina Had a History of Violations

According to state inspection reports, Tuckaway’s Varina location had a history of state violations. The facility has been cited for failure to lock up medication in order to prevent access by children. The facility was also cited for failure to have information on dosage amount and times to be administered.

In October 2018, the state department cited Tuckaway for 19 violations, including failure to have proof of children’s immunizations and failure to strap an infant in at a feeding table.

Legal Recourse for Daycare Sexual Abuse Victims and Their Families

Attorney contributor Kevin Biniazin is a former prosecutor who now represents victims of sexual abuse in civil lawsuits. Here are some thoughts from Kevin on the options for legal recourse available to daycare abuse victims and their families:

The chief function of daycare is to take care of the children under their watch and make sure they are safe. However, there are many daycares who fail to provide a safe environment for their kids. In some cases, this negligence can allow sexual predators to commit terrible crimes. When children are sexually abused by daycare employees, the victims and their families deserve justice and the daycares deserve to be held liable for their negligence.

For example, a daycare might be considered negligent if they hired an employee without first running a background check and that employee had a history of sexual misconduct.

In cases involving negligence, the victims and their families may have grounds for a lawsuit against the daycare. If you or a loved one is a survivor of daycare sexual abuse, you can learn more about your family’s legal options by speaking to an experienced sexual abuse survivors lawyer.