'We're horrified': Mother of daycare worker accused of child indecency reacts of his arrest

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The mother of a 31-year-old prolific childcare worker says she was "shocked" that her son was arrested after allegations of indecent exposure.

"We have no knowledge. We feel bad about it. We were horrified," the mother of Dennis McDaniel said. "Our sympathies go out to anyone who was hurt."

McDaniel was hired at the Kids Club in Magnolia a few months ago. His job was to work with kids 5 through 12 years old in the after-school program, according to the childcare facility's owner Lana Walton.

"When he went through the interview process, the manager who hired him felt he was genuine," Walton, who was visibly upset about the unfolding case, said. "He went through a 45-minute interview, a background check, an FBI clearance, he had fingerprints, everything was good."

SEE ALSO: Daycare worker who worked in several facilities was arrested and charged for indecency with a child

Walton said McDaniel quit early December when the facility could not offer additional hours. She said a week later, a father posted on Facebook that McDaniel tried to contact his daughter through her phone, even though he no longer worked at the facility. That set off a series of calls and follow-up investigations that led to his arrest this week.

"I protect these babies, that's what I do," Walton said with tears in her eyes. "I would never let anyone hire someone that I felt would be inappropriate with children."

McDaniel is now in serious trouble. Not only is he charged with indecency with a child, but investigators are looking through his entire employment history. McDaniel has worked in at least a dozen facilities over the past 10 years, mostly in Montgomery County and the Tomball area.

• Tomball Bible Church Daycare - Tomball, Texas (2011-2012)

• The Woodlands Church (Fellowship) - Tomball location (2012)

• Graceview Baptist Church - Tomball, Texas (2014)

• Conroe ISD - Conroe, Texas (2015)

• School District located in Harris County (employed for 3 days only in 2015)

• ABC Academy- Conroe, Texas (2017)

• Zion Lutheran Church and Daycare - Tomball, Texas (2017)

• Xplor Preschool and School Age Care - Spring, Texas (2018)

• The Woodlands Church (Fellowship) - The Woodlands location (2018 -2019)

• Little Texans Childcare Center Tomball, Texas (2020)

• School in the Pines - Spring, Texas (2020)

• All Starz Academy - Spring, Texas (2021)

• The Honey Tree - Houston, Texas (2021)

• The Kids Club - Magnolia, Texas (October to December of 2022)

• Little Tots - Spring, Texas (Summer of 2022)

Walton said she is shocked that no parents reported McDaniel to the police for years and that he had a clean background check. She just hopes that after one dad spoke out - that authorities can finally find every child impacted.

"To be honest, it makes me sickened. Because if he did do something in the past, how did he get this far, how did he work in childcare for so long? Nobody said anything, and he's made it to us," Walton said.

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