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Families sue daycare for allowing sex assaults

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An Omaha man is serving decades behind bars for sexually assaulting young kids.  Now the victims' families are suing the day care who hired him.

Mark Mays, 25, is serving 26-60 years in prison for sexually assaulting young girls while working at Little Hands Daycare at 120th & Blondo St. and La Petite Academy near 108th & W. Maple Rd. from May 2015 - January 2016.  Mays confessed to his crimes to police saying assaults happened when he would take the children in the bathroom and when he would change their diapers.

Jeff Herman files a negligence lawsuit on behalf of two of the victims' families against La Petite Academy.  Herman says Mays shouldn't have been hired since he was fired by two other daycares for crossing boundaries with the young kids, and he said one parent told the daycare not to let Mays change their daughter's diaper, but management let him anyway.

"These are dark cases. This a man Mark Mays, who is a pedophile, who has admitted raping babies.  This is a man that we allege La Petite hired without doing a proper employment background check," Herman explained.

Herman says Mays told police he sexually assaulted 6-8 children.

They not only want La Petite to admit to their negligence but are seeking damages, Herman says, could be upwards of $10 million.

“We can’t comment on pending litigation.

We take our responsibility as caregivers very seriously. Our staff undergoes state mandated background checks. Our employment practices and strict protocols of care meet or exceed state and federal requirements. Providing a safe and nurturing learning environment remains our top priority,” La Petite Academy said in a statement.

Herman also has a lawsuit filed against Little Hands Daycare on behalf of the family of another victim.

With “Goodtime” Mays will be eligible for parole in 2032.

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