Children's daycare church worker accused of sexual abuse released from jail

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An Abilene man accused of sexually abusing multiple children at a church daycare may leave jail after a likely reduction in bail.

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An Abilene man accused of sexually abusing multiple children at a church daycare may leave jail after a likely reduction in bail. ... more Photo: Taylor County Photo: Taylor County Image 1 of / 24 Caption Close Children's daycare church worker accused of sexual abuse released from jail 1 / 24 Back to Gallery

An Abilene church daycare worker accused of sexually abusing at least five different victims has been released from jail.

Five months after his arrest, 25-year-old Benjamin Roberts posted bail after his bond was reduced from $350,000 to $100,000, reports KTAB/KRBC.

Roberts was originally arrested by the Abilene Police Department in March after his residence was identified as a place where child pornography was being downloaded, according to court documents obtained by Abilene Reporter-News.

The arrest led to further investigation into Robert and his place of work, the Wylie Baptist Church Child Development Center.

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Court documents reveal that Robert admitted to police he had sexual thoughts about the children he was supervising at the church.

Police said two victims told authorities that Roberts touched them inappropriately. Police also allegedly observed Roberts inappropriately touching and tickling children when they reviewed surveillance footage at the daycare.

At least five children, all under the age of 14, are believed to be victims of Roberts, court documents indicate.

Police are asking parents to speak to their children about any interactions with Roberts and report any cases of sexual abuse to the Abilene Police Department.

Fernando Ramirez covers Texas news and politics. Read him on our breaking news site and on our subscriber site. | Fernando.ramirez@chron.com | @fernramirez93



