Husband Of MN Daycare Provider Sentenced For Sexually Assaulting Kids

STILLWATER, MN — The husband of a Woodbury daycare provider who sexually assaulted two children under the age of 10 was sentenced to 18 years in prison, Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson announced Friday.

In August, a Washington County jury convicted 44-year-old Norberto De Jesus Zelada Perez of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Last week at the hearing, Judge Siv Mjanger rejected the defense's plea for a reduced sentence.

In addition to his prison sentence, Perez was ordered to a lifetime conditional release and predatory offender registration.

"It is so important that we protect the most vulnerable among us," said Magnuson in a news release.

"Not only is this a terrible crime for any family to have suffered, but it is made even worse because it happened in a place where we trust our children are safe and loved. Our hearts are with the families of everyone involved and we hope today’s sentence helps them toward a path of healing."

Perez lived with his wife on Sandlewood Road in Woodbury where she operated an in-home childcare facility, authorities said. The reported assaults occurred in the home between 2020 and 2022 while the children were in his wife’s care, according to investigators.

Woodbury police said they began investigating Perez in May 2022 after a 7-year-old told her parents that Perez had sexually assaulted her.

A second child told her mother about experiencing similar abuse, stating that it happened every time they were at daycare, according to authorities.

This case against Perez was prosecuted by Assistant County Attorneys Kayla Wengronowitz and Tom Frenette.