Ocean Pines, MD - Daycare Worker, Bruce William Travers, Facing Multiple Charges of Child Sexual Abuse

Daycare Worker Charged With Sexually Abusing Children

According to The Dispatch, 37-year-old Bruce William Travers is facing multiple charges of child sexual abuse while employed at Little Lambs Learning Center located at 11227 Racetrack Rd, Berlin, MD 21811. 

Maryland State Police Computer Crimes Unit was given a tip by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Travers had uploaded a file that portrayed child pornography to Bing. With a search and seizure warrant on August 20, 2021. Investigators found a metal box containing hundreds of photos of children along with instructions on how to use a sock for sexual gratification. Additionally, they were able to retrieve the following from his residence: 

• laptops
• cell phones
• thumb drives
• camera memory cards
• several articles of children’s clothing

Travers defended the articles of clothing, claiming they were used for fantasizing. He also admitted to being in possession of child pornography. He informed the investigators that he had three elementary-aged children stay at the house in the past. Court documents revealed that Travers was even permitted to watch children in his home. 

Nude photos of children were discovered on electronic devices. Travers was charged on August 28, 2021, a day after investigators interviewed the children.  

It was not mentioned how long Travers worked at the local daycare, Little Lambs Learning Center, but his employment was terminated after hearing about the case, and he had not actively worked there since August 20, 2021. Research showed that he had been employed as a substitute teacher at Showell Elementary School. In September, he was also scheduled to start as an educational assistant with the Worcester County Board of Education but has resigned. 

Travers was not offered bail and is facing the following charges:

• two felony charges related to sexual abuse of a minor family or household member
• two charges of sex abuse minor
• 15 charges of child porn film in sex act
• 15 charges of child pornography possession

Legal Rights of Victims Sexually Abused at a Daycare

Our attorney contributor, Aaron Blank, is an experienced sexual abuse lawyer that has represented numerous victims and families of sexual abuse in civil lawsuits. Aaron has provided his knowledge on the rights of victims and their families sexually abused at a daycare. 

“When parents drop their children off at daycares, they are expecting their children to be safe. In fact, daycares are legally obligated to protect the children with whom they are entrusted from harm, including sexual abuse. Unfortunately, across the country, we see daycare workers abuse children sexually by taking advantage of their positions of power and trust. In order to protect children, daycares must maintain that adequate security measures are in place. For example, conducting background checks on all staff members, implementing a reporting system, and even utilizing safety monitors within the classrooms. If a daycare does not provide ample security measures and abuse occurs, they could be held liable.”

“Victims and their families may have reasonable grounds for a civil lawsuit if the daycare is deemed negligent. The family is encouraged to inquire if the daycare did everything possible to prevent the abuse from taking place. For example, if a daycare did not provide a certain level of security or ignored previous misconduct reports about a daycare worker, the daycare could be deemed negligent. In such cases of negligence, the victim’s lawyer will need to prove the daycare is liable and the victim and their family could receive financial compensation.”

Sources:

The Dispatch