Update: 18-year-old Prescott Valley man arrested for alleged child abuse at child care center
4 other potential claims of child abuse also being investigated by Prescott Valley police

Prescott Valley resident Chandler Blankenship, 18, was arrested for the alleged child abuse of a 3-year-old girl at Gummy Bear Early Learning Center, according to Prescott Valley Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Jason Kaufman on Thursday night. (YCSO/Courtesy)

Prescott Valley resident Chandler Blankenship, 18, was arrested for the alleged child abuse of a 3-year-old girl at Gummy Bear Early Learning Center, according to Prescott Valley Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Jason Kaufman on Thursday night. (YCSO/Courtesy)

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Police were on scene Thursday evening, July 11, 2019, at the Gummy Bear Early Learning Center, in the 8000 block of Manley Drive, Prescott Valley, serving a search warrant. (Tim Wiederaenders/Courier)

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated from an earlier version.

Eighteen-year-old Prescott Valley resident Chandler Blankenship was arrested for the alleged child abuse of a 3-year-old girl at Gummy Bear Early Learning Center, according to Prescott Valley Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Jason Kaufman on Thursday night, July 11.

The Prescott Valley Police Department Criminal Investigations Section is actively investigating potentially four other cases of alleged child abuse at the child care center, Kaufman said. Blankenship, however, may not be involved in those cases.

“There may be other perpetrators,” Kaufman said in a phone interview with the Courier on Thursday night.

Prescott Valley PD was on scene Thursday evening serving a search warrant for all files and video pertaining to their case.

The Gummy Bear Early Learning Center, located on the 8000 block of Manley Drive in Prescott Valley, is cooperating with the investigation and the appropriate licensing agency has been notified.

Kaufman said the Prescott Valley Police Department takes any report of the mistreatment of children or child abuse very seriously. And Interference in a criminal investigation, to include threats of harm or actual harm to involved person of interest or suspects will not be tolerated.

To that note, PVPD is asking parents with a child or children who have attended this child care facility between February of 2019 and July of 2019 and believe their child may have been abused, please contact the Prescott Valley Police Department at 928-772-9267 to make a report.

You may also contact Yavapai Silent Witness at 1-800-932-3232.

Watch The Daily Courier and dCourier.com for more.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. is news/sports editor for The Daily Courier. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and SoundCloud at @TheEditorDesk. Email him at bbergner@prescottaz.com, or call 928-445-3333, ext. 1106.


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