State Suspends License of Day-Care Center

State authorities have suspended the license of a family-run day-care center in Pacoima because of charges that the operators failed to report alleged incidents of child abuse in their family.

The owners were legally obliged to report the charge to the state Department of Social Services, which licensed the facility, even though it did not involve any of the children they were paid to look after for clients, said a state spokeswoman and a Los Angeles police detective.

Notice of the suspension was served Tuesday at the home of Samuel and Joyce West in the 12700 block of Paxton Street, where they run West Family Day Care. At the same time, police arrested a male juvenile, Detective M. Hasher said.

The youth was held on suspicion of “crime against a child,” based on accusations that he sexually molested a young girl relative, Hasher said. The youth was released to his parents pending review of the case by the district attorney’s office, Hasher said.

The Wests not only failed to report the allegations, but Joyce West discouraged the victim from talking about them, said Kathleen A. Norris, a spokeswoman for the social services department.

The couple has 15 days to file a response to the department’s administrative charges and is entitled to a hearing before an administrative law judge. Ultimately, their license could be revoked, Norris said.