State Closes Day-Care Center After Report of Molestations

A day-care center run by the estranged wife of Santa Clarita City Councilman Dennis Koontz has been temporarily shut down by the state because of allegations that five preschoolers were sexually molested at the facility, a state official said Wednesday.

A complaint by the Department of Social Services does not accuse Mary Lee Koontz of involvement in the alleged molestations, but says she should have provided better supervision at the center she operated in her Juneda Drive home, said Kathleen Norris, a department spokeswoman.

The complaint does not mention the councilman, who has been separated from his wife for more than a year. They are seeking a divorce.

Mary Lee Koontz could not be reached for comment.

A report compiled by the department said the molestations occured between 1983 and 1987 and involved both boys and girls, Norris said. The molestations were allegedly committed by an older boy, Norris said. She said the boy was not an employee at the center, but would not elaborate on his connection to it.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, responding to complaints, notified the state of the alleged incidents in March, Norris said. She said she did not know what, if any, action had been taken against the boy.

Sheriff’s Department investigators could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Norris said the state issued the complaint against Mary Lee Koontz on May 19, closing the center at the same time. The state will ask that the center’s license be revoked at a hearing before an administrative law judge scheduled for Dec. 6-8. The center will remain closed until the hearing, she said.

Mary Lee Koontz had operated a day-care center since 1983 but did not obtain a license, which authorized her to care for up to 12 children, until Feb. 3 of this year, Norris said.