UPDATE: Deputies arrested Anthony J. Dinatale late Thursday afternoon and charged him with sexually battering a child who was in his care.Dinatale was arrested at the Collier County jail and charged with three counts of capital sexual battery.
Investigators said the 9-year-old victim told deputies that Dinatale sexually battered her during August 2004 to May 2005 while he was her baby sitter, according to sheriff’s reports.
The assaults happened in Collier County, investigators said.
The arrest report is not yet available.
Original news release, March 25, 2009:
Man Charged With Taking Lewd Photos At Day Care
CRIME LOCATION: Ann Phillip Preschool, 860 102nd Ave. N., Naples Park
ARRESTED: Anthony J. Dinatale, 29, 6147 English Oaks Lane, Golden Gate Estates
CHARGES: Two counts of manufacturing child pornography and one count of lewd molestation.
SUMMARY: Deputies arrested Dinatale on Tuesday and charged him with taking a photograph of a child’s genitals at a Naples Park day-care center run by his stepmother.
According to arrest reports, the victim, who is enrolled at the day care, told deputies that she was using the bathroom after 4 p.m. on March 18 when Dinatale came into the room with her. The girl told deputies that she told Dinatale to get out. Instead he took out his cell phone and took a picture of her with her pants down.
After he took the picture, she said, he used toilet paper to wipe her genitals, according to reports.
The girl told deputies that she immediately reported the incident to two day-care employees, who did not tell the owner about it until two days later, according to reports.
Both employees told deputies that they were unsure about what to do with the information and waited to tell the owner because they wanted another, more senior employee to handle it, according to reports.
Owner Kathy Dinatale told deputies that she learned of the incident at the end of the workday March 20, reports said. She said she spoke to the victim and then called Dinatale, her stepson, on the telephone and confronted him with the allegations, which she said he denied.
The girl’s mother also learned of the incident March 20 and reported it to authorities.
When questioned by deputies, Dinatale denied being in the bathroom with the victim or taking pictures of her with his cell phone, reports said. He gave deputies permission to analyze his cell phone, reports said.
A forensic analysis of the phone turned up two deleted photographs of a young girl’s genitalia, according to reports.
A forensic analysis was also performed on Dinatale’s home computer; the search was negative for child pornography, according to reports.
Dinatale was arrested and booked into the Collier County jail.
An investigation continues.
