SAN ANTONIO -- A former teacher at a northwest side daycare is behind bars after being arrested Friday by the FBI.
Nicholas Andreas Gonzales Malven is accused of producing and distributing child pornography involving the children left in his care. He did not have a criminal record.
Malven worked at the La Petite Academy day care center in the 6600 block of Spring Time, which is off Babcock Road on San Antonio's northwest side.
Most of the inappropriate pictures and videos he shared were allegedly taken inside the day care center during bathroom time and nap time, and involved at least two children.
"What kind of parents expect anything like this to happen to their kids? Especially at the daycare who they trusted," said a mother who wished to remain anonymous.
The mother says the FBI came knocking at 8:30 Monday morning, minutes before taking her child to daycare at La Petite Academy.
"They showed me a picture of my son laying down to confirm it was my son," she said. "It was him."
She said they discussed a former teacher at the daycare, identified as Nicholas Andreas Gonzales Malven, who is accused of taking the pictures and sharing them on multiple phone apps.
The criminal complaint says Malven shared videos and photos of child pornography using the instant messaging app, Kik, and Grindr. Authorities found him during a different investigation of child porn trafficking.
In messages obtained by the authorities, Malven described and documented performing sexual acts on a 2-year-old, and shared photos of a young boy's private areas. The pictures included children in various states of undress.
Malven told the FBI he has been involved with child porn for five years and all pictures he shared on the apps were taken in last month.
We stopped by the daycare and management referred us to their corporate office.
In a statement, Lydia Cisaruk, Director of Communications for La Petite Academy says,
"We were made aware an employee was arrested. We were deeply disturbed to understand the nature of the charges. This individual is no longer employed by our company.
We have strict policies and procedures to ensure we meet or exceed regulatory guidelines. We do not tolerate any deviation from our standards of care. We are fully cooperating with the authorities in the investigation. We take our responsibility as caregivers very seriously. Our focus remains on providing a safe and nurturing learning environment. Nothing is more important than the safety and wellbeing of our children."
The mother tells us in her brief encounters with the defendant he seemed like a normal person.
She says her son is staying with family as she looks for a new daycare, and he has an appointment at the hospital next week for a checkup.
"He's a happy 4 year old," she said. "He's a normal 4-year-old. He doesn't think anything went wrong."
Malven has been charged with distribution and production of child pornography. He is scheduled for a hearing Thursday morning in federal court. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervised release.
Child Protective Services confirmed to KENS 5 that Childcare Licensing is investigating allegations involving the defendant.
The FBI said Tuesday that their agents are contacting the families of potential victims at the center.