Shocking child molestation allegations have forced a local preschool to shut down in Hollister as an investigation of two local residents for sex crimes and child abuse is underway, according to authorities.
Hollister Police said that four alleged victims have been identified.
“This is still an ongoing investigation. We’re still talking to people, interviewing people. And hopefully we can conclude the investigation in a reasonable amount of time,” said Hollister Police Sgt. Aurelio Melgoza.
Authorities were contacted on April 10 by a concerned parent and, after talking to other families connected to the preschool, determined there were at least four alleged victims, police said.
“[The victims] are not at an age where they can put a lot of phrases together, but there was information that they said that [indicated] they were possibly victims of sexual abuse,” Melgoza said.
Victoria Grimmet, 66, and her son-in-law Justin Allen, 44, were both arrested on April 12, according to police. Grimmet is the owner of the preschool in question, Miss Vicky’s Preschool and Child Care, located on Sequoia Court in the Sunnyslope neighborhood of Hollister.
Allen is accused of lewd acts with children and is currently being held without bail in San Benito County Jail, police said. Grimmet was arrested on allegations of child abuse for failing to protect children under her care. Charges are still pending and she has been released on $50,000 bail.
Multiple calls to the phone number listed on Miss Vicky’s Preschool’s website went unanswered, and Grimmit had not responded to a request for comment as of the time of publication.
Allen was living in the home that the preschool operated from at the time of his arrest and has no prior criminal record, according to Hollister PD. Allen had to pass a background check in order to live on the property that partially serves as a daycare.
Multiple agencies, including the San Benito District Attorney’s Office, Child Protective Services and state agencies are involved in the investigation. Melgoza said that Hollister Police are “ramping up” the investigation and that it’s a matter of days before they hand their findings over to the DA’s office. Melgoza added that investigators do not expect more victims related to the preschool to come forward. However, he said it’s unknown at this point if there are any other victims not related to the current investigation.
“I think one of the things that I can tell the community is that we take these kinds of allegations very seriously and we’re going to do our best to fully investigate the allegations,” Melgoza said. “And the victims will get the resources necessary to heal any trauma that they went through.”
