One week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a convicted sex offender at a San Diego home day care, NBC 7 on Tuesday confirmed that child care facility has closed.
The window shades were drawn, children’s toys were piled up near the front steps and Little Hands Academy Family Child Care on College Avenue was no longer answering a knock at the door or calls on Tuesday.
According to the California Department of Social Services, the day care was closed Aug. 28. No reason was given, but the day before, in part of an emailed response to NBC 7’s inquiry, spokesperson Jason Montiel wrote: “The Department is conducting an investigation and cannot comment on ongoing investigations.”
The man is now facing deportation after being expelled twice before. NBC7’s Dave Summers went through the court documents and visited the neighborhood.
Federal agents discovered 47-year-old Mexican national Ezequiel Cruz Rodriguez, an unregistered sex offender living at the day care. He was living there for nine years, according to ICE agents and neighbors. One week ago, on Aug. 26, at 6 a.m., ICE agents went to the day care to take Rodriguez into custody.
New video of the arrest has been surfacing. In it, you can see ICE agents arrive in several vehicles wearing tactical gear and helmets. A chopper circled low overhead, which woke up the neighbor who shot the video but doesn’t want to be identified.
According to agents on the ground, there was a short conversation with Rodriguez before he was taken into custody without incident. The arrest took no more than 10 minutes.
Federal court records obtained by NBC 7 show Rodriguez was first deported in August of 1996. At the time, he was a registered sex offender with the state of California and a member of the San Diego gang “Logan Clika.”
Court records also indicate that three months before being deported, he was convicted of a lewd lascivious act with a child under 14 years of age. He was sentenced to six months in jail and three years’ probation.
Little Hands Academy was inspected in April of 2023, according to Social Services online records. The evaluation indicates the licensee was reminded that all adults 18 and over living or working there must have a criminal background check. At the time, there was no mention of Rodriguez.
Social Services records indicate the closure was initiated by the day care owner, Dolce Villagomez.