Lake Stevens preschool teacher arrested on suspicion of child sex abuse

Published 2:30 pm Tuesday, January 20, 2026

EVERETT — Police arrested a 28-year-old woman on Jan. 16 on suspicion of child sexual abuse alleged to have occurred at a Lake Stevens preschool, where she worked as an assistant teacher.

On Jan. 16, an assistant teacher at Country Dawn Preschool reported to the Lake Stevens Police Department that another staff member would allegedly “poke around” the genitalia of several students with her finger during diaper changes, court documents said.

On Tuesday, a Country Dawn Preschool and Childcare Inc. spokesperson said the school has no statement at this time.

When the teacher informed the director and supervisor of the school, the suspect was reportedly allowed to continue working, court documents said. Parents of the victims, Child Protective Services or law enforcement were not initially notified, court documents said.

During a police interview, she said the suspect was an assistant teacher in the “older toddler” room. The suspect was reportedly employed at the school since August 2025, court documents said.

The teacher told police she observed the suspect touch five to six students for about one minute each during diaper changes from Jan. 7-9, court documents said.

When children were injured on the playground, the suspect would reportedly bring them indoors, whereas school policy is to bring an ice pack outside instead of taking a student where they would be alone with a teacher, court documents said. The suspect allegedly remained indoors with the child for about 15 minutes.

On Jan. 12, the teacher informed her supervisor of what she observed. The next day, supervisors set up a meeting to “clear the air,” court documents said. The suspect denied the allegation, and the two teachers were reportedly separated at work with plans for the suspect to return to her classroom the following week.

Investigators began calling the parents of the victims. Upon hearing a description of the incident, one parent reportedly said, “That fits,” court documents said.

On Jan. 16, police interviewed the suspect, who again denied the allegations. She was reportedly perspiring throughout the interview despite the room being at a comfortable temperature, court documents said.

Law enforcement booked the suspect into the Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of first-degree rape of a child.

On Saturday, the suspect was released after she posted a $60,000 bond, according to Snohomish County jail filings. No charges have been filed as of Tuesday afternoon.

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com. X: @JennaMillikan