Idaho day care worker charged with lewd conduct with child

A daycare worker in Mountain Home has been charged with a felony after investigators said he inappropriately touched a child at the daycare center.

Eric Eugene Junge, 35, made his first appearance in court on Thursday. He has not yet entered a plea, and his attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to court documents, Junge worked at Mickey and Minnie’s Playhouse in Mountain Home. In the court documents, prosecutors say a parent filed a report with the Mountain Home Police Department earlier this month after her child said she had been “molested by her daycare worker.”

Mountain Home Police Department Lt. Ty Larsen says the case remains under investigation.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has suspended the daycare, which means it can’t operate. The owner has the opportunity to appeal the decision.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 26.