Owner of Raleigh daycare, 58, charged with sexual assault of a child

The owner of a Raleigh daycare and preschool has been charged with sexually assaulting a child.

Malay Jindal, 58, was accused this week of committing a statutory sex offense with a child in late July. He is one of the owners of The Goddard School of Raleigh (North).

Although authorities have not specified the exact details of the alleged crime, statutory sex offenses in North Carolina mean a person over the age of 18 engages in a sexual act with a child under the age of 13.

The child who was assaulted was 5 years old, according to the N&O’s newsgathering partners at ABC11.

Goddard Systems, the parent company of The Goddard School, said it was first alerted of an investigation into this crime over the summer and “immediately alerted parents.”

“The owners of The Goddard School of Raleigh (North) have taken this matter very seriously and have been fully cooperating with local authorities, the North Carolina state licensor and Goddard Systems throughout the investigation,” Goddard Systems said in a statement to The News & Observer.

Goddard Systems also said it has strict guidelines regarding employee background checks, and there are “no exceptions” to their policy.

Jindal is not currently listed on the North Carolina sex offender registry.

“The accused owner denies the allegations and will make every effort to refute them,” the statement said.

This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 12:52 PM.