Warrant issued for Maple Grove daycare worker accused of groping a 9-year-old girl

A warrant has been issued for a Minnetonka daycare worker's arrest after he allegedly groped a nine-year-old girl in his care over the summer.

Ryan Vaughan, 37, is charged with criminal sexual conduct for touching a child under the age of 14. Vaughan, a former employee at Tutor Time daycare in Maple Grove, has a nationwide warrant out for his arrest.

The warrant states that officers were notified on Aug. 12 about a report of a child saying they were being touched inappropriately by a teacher at their school.

Officers met with the child's parents, who said that their child goes to daycare at Tutor Time, located at 6340 Wedgwood Road North. They had noticed that her behavior had been off the past several weeks and that she was extremely anxious.

Something seemed wrong when the child's mother picked her up from school that day. After talking with her child, she learned that Vaughan had been grabbing the girl's thigh and buttocks.

The warrant states that the child was taken to CornerHouse to be interviewed on Aug. 14, and said he would grab her thigh and butt. The child said Vaughan told her not to tell anyone, and despite telling him to stop, he wouldn't listen.

According to the child's account, she had been touched multiple times over the course of that last week.

Vaughan has been in and out of the court system, dating back as early as 2005. While most have been traffic misdemeanor convictions, he had been previously charged in Otter Tail in 2005 for a 5th-degree domestic assault case.

He was eventually convicted on disorderly conduct after pleading guilty, having the other charge dismissed. He served a total of 90 days in jail, and one year of probation.

Charges were filed against Vaughan on Thursday, and he has not been arrested yet.

Bring Me The News has reached out to Tutor Time in Maple Grove and received a statement from a spokesperson, confirming that Vaughan had worked there since June 2024, but has since been terminated.

"Immediately upon learning of the allegations, the staff member was placed on administrative leave," the spokesperson said. "Following our protocols, we reported the matter to the appropriate authorities and have provided our full cooperation when contacted regarding their investigations. The employee has since been terminated."

Additionally, they said required background checks were run on Vaughan, including reviewing state-maintained abuse registries, but nothing was revealed "that would preclude his employment or raise red flags."

According to the Department of Human Services (DHS), Tutor Time's Maple Grove location has been the subject of multiple corrective actions dating back to 2020.

Most recently, in February 2024, more than a dozen violations were found within the facility during a licensing review, including an individual who was required to have a background study before being allowed contact with children. The center was also not clean, and the staff was unaware of children's allergies.

Prior violations from earlier visits also state that staff did not supervise the children at all times, and there were multiple instances of children being given "prohibited disciplinary actions." According to its website, all of the violations brought forth by DHS have been corrected and approved by the department.