Avon Preschool Employee Accused Of 'Inappropriate Contact:' Police

AVON, CT — Avon police arrested a local child care worker Wednesday following an investigation into alleged "inappropriate contact" with a child at a Simsbury Road facility.

According to an Avon Police Department news release, officers responded Tuesday, March 31, to BrightPath Avon Early Learning and Child Care Center after a center administrator reported concerns about a staff member’s interaction with a child the previous day.

Police said they immediately opened an investigation and obtained an arrest warrant for Jan Carlos Berrios-Otero, 29, of Avon.

Berrios-Otero was taken into custody on Wednesday, April 1, at a residence in Middletown without incident, with assistance from West Hartford and Middletown police.

He is charged with one count of risk of injury to a minor and one count of fourth-degree sexual assault.

Authorities said Berrios-Otero is being held on a $250,000 court-set bond at the Avon Police Department.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Police said they are working with BrightPath administrators to notify individuals who may have been affected.

No additional details about the alleged incident or the child involved were released.

BrightPath released a statement on the situation later in the day on Wednesday:

"On March 31, 2026, we were made aware of an incident at our center," wrote BrightPath in a statement. "We took immediate action, which included reporting to the Avon Police Department, the state licensing agency, and the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and we are cooperating with law enforcement and all relevant agencies through appropriate legal processes.

"The individual involved is no longer employed by BrightPath. The safety and well-being of every child entrusted to our care is, and always will be, our highest priority. We hold our educators to strong professional and ethical standards, and we take any conduct that may be inconsistent with those standards very seriously."

BrightPath deferred further questions to the APD.