A New York bus driver is charged with kidnapping and sexually abusing a student who rode his route, Nassau County prosecutors announced Monday.
Giovanny Campos, 50, was indicted last week on several charges, including kidnapping and rape of a Long Island student who used his bus route between January and July, prosecutors said.
“School bus drivers are trusted to transport and protect our children, but this defendant allegedly preyed on a teenage student and sexually abused her both on his bus and at his apartment in Queens,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in the announcement.
Prosecutors say Campos drove the route from Central High School to North High School in Valley Stream, Long Island, where he picked the student up.
Campos allegedly sexually abused the teenager repeatedly in the parking lot while they were still on the bus, and allegedly took her to his apartment in Jamaica, Queens.
Nassau County police arrested Campos at his home in September. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Menachem White, an attorney who prosecutors said is representing Campos, and the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County, which is listed as White’s representative, did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
Campos is no longer employed with Cheese Bus, Inc., according to a statement sent to HuffPost by Ezra Law, a firm that represents the bus company.
“This individual is no longer employed by Cheese Bus, Inc.,” the company’s statement read. “The instant our office was made aware of the District Attorney’s allegations, we removed the individual in question from all bus routes and from any contact with our passengers as we are committed to maintaining safety and security within our community.”
“The individual was suspended indefinitely and terminated shortly thereafter,” the statement continued. “We have fully cooperated with local law enforcement and remain at the ready should local authorities request further assistance. We have no further comment at this time.”
According to local news station News 12, the Valley Stream Central High School District said in a letter to the community that due to the sensitivity of the case, they’re unable to share certain details of what is alleged to have transpired.
“Our District is a place where our students should feel safe, and we reiterate our condemnation of these allegations of a violation of that safety, as well as the unspeakable harm that is accused of being inflicted,” the letter read.
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.