Palm Beach County man used his unlicensed daycare to shoot child pornography, cops say
When David Manas was arrested on 30 counts of child pornography possession in July, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office says his Google account included something else unsettling: PDFs referencing “Manas Family Daycare” with the suspect’s home address.
An arrest report alleges 46 photos, a Nikon camera and all-day access to children added up just as the document hinted. Now, in addition to the child porn possession charges, the 62-year-old Manas faces two counts of lewd and lascivious molestation and 23 counts of using or allowing a child to engage in a sexual performance.
He is in the Palm Beach County jail’s Main Detention Center. on a bond of $2.65 million.
And, the daycare in which this activity is alleged to have occurred wasn’t licensed to operate, according to online records.
Florida Department of Health-Palm Beach County handles child-care facility licensing in Palm Beach County. The agency’s database of licensed child-care facilities says the closest one to Manas’ home is about 400 yards west of Manas’ house, 23152 SW 58th Ave. Manas’ address also doesn’t turn up in the Department of CF’s online search of licensed child care providers.
The Initial Investigation
Manas’ first arrest report says a March 25 Cybertip from Google stated two pieces of child pornography, one photo and one video, were “captured in the Google Photos and Google Gmail infrastructure for user sdmanas2@gmail.com.” Attached to that email address, Google said, is a birthdate that matches Manas’ and a cellphone number that subpeonaed information from AT&T said belonged to Manas.
A PBSO search warrant for all the data associated with that sdmanas2@gmailc.om, the report says, showed the video to be a lewd three-second anime cartoon and the photo to be of a preschool-aged girl naked from the waist down. Also, there was a bank statement from BB&T for Manas and his wife, Barbara.
Then, there was the PDF titled “Barbara-last two paystubs.” The report says they show pay receipts for Manas Family Daycare at 23152 SW 58th Ave. in unincorporated Palm Beach County. The Manas’ bought the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house in August 1993, Palm Beach County property records show. Barbara Manas has not been arrested or charged.
Upon his July 30 arrest, the report says, Manas said he watched pornography and “sometimes, when he’s online, child pornography will pop up.”
PBSO says when they got into Manas’ seized tablet they found 100 pictures of child porn involving kids from infant to 9 years old. Of that 100, 46 jumped out at the digital detectives attention. had a toddler whose legs were being held apart by an adult white male while he molested her. His hand and forearm are visible.
But, the report said, what really jumped out about the photos was the metadata, which said they were shot with a Nikon D90 camera in May 2020. One of the detectives who had been at Manas’ house, the report said, remembered seeing a Nikon camera on top of a living room file cabinet.
That got PBSO another search warrant for Manas’ home.
Manas Family Daycare in the Manas home
The second arrest report says the comforter, towel, diaper changing pad and socks in the 46 photos were found in executing the second search warrant, which also brought in other electronic devices.
With a state DCF investigator, PBSO talked to children who had been at Manas Day Care since 2015.
“All children separately disclosed that David Manas took pictures of them with his cellphone and with a camera (believed to be the Nikon D90),” the report said. “One of the children even described the camera as looking like a ‘telescope’ while imitating the process of moving the camera lens.
The children reported that the pictures were taken in the home of David Manas, specifically in the master bedroom and while changing to go to the pool,” the report continues. “They reported David takes ‘naked pictures’ while the children were playing during ‘naked time.’”
Detectives believed the hands, forearm and forearm hair in the photos matched Manas’.
In a talk with PBSO investigators, the mother of the child in the 46 photos said her kids had spent the night at the Manas’ five times, including May 29, 30 and 31. After she returned, she noticed her daughter got fussy during diaper changes and baths.
“Due to her young age, she was unable to verbalize any abuse,” the report said.
Man accused of having pipe bombs is found dead in his Florida jail cell days after arrest
Florida landscape company’s violations led to shorting workers $110,000 in pay, feds say
Moldy water dripping on Checkers’ food, rodents, roaches: restaurants failing inspection
