Barrow County Sheriff Jud Smith’s fear?
That there are more out there — people who as young children might have been victimized by an alleged sexual predator, the husband of a long-time, local day care operator.
Richard Paltrineri, 64, of Auburn, whose wife Susan Paltrineri ran SusanSilly Expressions Pre-School Program in Auburn, was arrested and charged last Friday with child molestation and other related felonies.
Smith said Paltrineri has admitted to molesting six children so far and he’s being held in the Barrow County Detention Center. The day care has also been shut down and is being investigated by the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning. That decision to close the facility is not being appealed by the day care, a department spokesman said Friday.
What concerns Smith now is that the day care has been open since 1999, so many children have passed through it and could have been affected.
“It’s obviously our hope that we don’t find (more children),” Smith said.
The six known alleged victims are aged 2 to 5, and include both boys and girls. Smith would not provide details but said there was “extensive physical contact” with the children.
A disclosure from a child who attended the day care to a parent broke the case.