MORENO VALLEY: Man with ties to 3 former local daycare facilities arrested

MORENO VALLEY – A man associated with three different former children’s daycare facilities in three different inland empire cities was arrested for child molestation related charges Sept. 22.

Riverside County sheriff’s investigators from the Moreno Valley Police Station arrested the man after two victims came forward alleging that they were molested by an associate of one of the former facilities that had been located and operated out of Moreno Valley.

Both victims identified Earnest Sims Jr., a.k.a. “Grampa Sims” as the man who molested them, according to Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant Brian De Marco.

The investigation into the alleged incidents began Thursday, Sept. 1 when two victims, who are both now adults, told investigators they were repeatedly molested between 1999 and 2002 at Sims Family Daycare.

After a nearly month-long investigation, investigators from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Moreno Valley Station arrested Earnest Sims Jr., 85, at a residence in the 28900 block of Kenda Court in Moreno Valley at about 3 p.m.

The alleged incidents happened over a three-year period at Sims Family Daycare, which was a licensed daycare facility that operated from June 1989 until March 2005. The daycare facility operated out of a single family residence in the 25000 block of Fernbush Street in Moreno Valley.

“Earnest Sims is no longer associated with any day care or foster care facilities,” according to De Marco. However, officials confirmed Sims Jr. was also formerly associated with two other local daycare facilities.

From June 2007 to April 2010, Sims Jr. was an associate of House of Praise Day Care, which operated as a licensed daycare facility in the 100 block of De Anza Drive in San Jacinto. House of Praise Day Care reportedly operated out of a single family residence.

Sims was also associated with an unnamed foster care facility in the 27000 block of Bluff Vista Way in Menifee. The facility was a licensed daycare facility operating out of a single family residence that was closed in March of 2015. The date when the facility began operating is currently unknown, according to De Marco.

A jail record search revealed Sims Jr. was booked on six counts of suspicion of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14 years of age, lewd or lascivious acts accomplished by duress with a child under 14 years of age, and an enhancement for multiple victims.

He was being held at the Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility in Banning until he was released two days after his arrest on Sept. 24 after posting $250,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice Nov. 7.

“Investigators from the Moreno Valley Police Station are looking for any additional victims or potential witnesses associated with Mr. Sims during his times when he was associated with the three different daycare facilities,” according to De Marco.

Anyone who has information regarding these allegations is urged to contact Master Investigator Holland at (951) 486-6700 or after hours reporting at (951) 776-1099. Callers can refer to incident file number MV162450120 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

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Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.