Mother: 5-year-old described scratchy fingers of daycare owner now charged with 'forcible fondling'

The mother of a 5-year-old girl told the court on Friday that her daughter described the scratchy fingers of one of the owners of her daycare center, leading to his charge on a sex offense.

Malay Jindal, 58, who owns The Goddard School of Raleigh (North) with his wife, was arrested Thursday and charged with "forcible fondling."

Prosecutors said the girl's story prompted an investigation that began July 30.

In early August, the school alerted parents to the investigation.

Some concerned parents told WRAL News that they pulled their children from the school after that notice.

“When this all happened, we talked to his wife Vinetta, and she was visibly upset, but we tried to give the owners the benefit of the doubt, and not make drastic moves to pull our child out,” another parent said.

Others said they were considering doing so after Jindal's charge was made public.

“We immediately pulled our child from the school and will not be returning," said one parent, who asked not to be identified.

"Our trust in the school has been completely broken. I am so disgusted by how this was handled! They just kept cashing our tuition checks."

Goddard Systems franchises out locations in the U.S., including in Raleigh. Most are independently owned and operated.

Michelle Rees, the manager of Goddard Systems, sent families a letter on Thursday. It said, in part:

"As the Jindals shared with you in August, an investigation was initiated at The Goddard School of Raleigh (North) following an allegation that was made against an on-site owner, Malay. Today, following their investigation, local police charged Malay with 'statutory sex offense with child by adult.' Malay denies the allegations and will make every effort to refute them."

Jindal had an initial court appearance on Friday afternoon, where he denied the allegation. His attorney explained that Jindal was covering for a teacher who was at lunch on the day in question. The children were napping and about 11 of them were present that day, the attorney said.

Jindal's attorney asked for his bond to be reduced, and the judge set it at $2 million secured.

Parents who spoke with WRAL News described the news as "awful" and "shocking."

"I could not go there today," one said. "I am too emotional to even go look at the door. This could have been my kid.”

Another said, "Yesterday we cried together. We are so upset. Our one job is to protect our children.”

Jindal is listed on the board of directors for the NCIAP People's Medical Care, a non-profit based in the Triangle. According to his biography on their website, he earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from IIT in India and a master's degree in Atmospheric Science from North Carolina State University. He was an environmental consultant for over 20 years prior to opening his Goddard School.

He also served on the board of directors of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and on the chamber’s education committee, according to the website.

"Mr. Jindal is an ardent believer in community service," the bio says. "He supports organizations that promote education for children, humanitarian efforts, and welfare of animals."

He has lived in Raleigh with his wife since 1994, according to the website.