ready -kp
AUSTIN -- A former Austin ISD bus driver charged with aggravated sexual assault has been released on bond.
District officials said Thursday afternoon that 61-year-old Leon Young is charged after an incident involving a Walnut Creek Elementary School student. According to an arrest affidavit, the crime allegedly happened between Aug. 25, 2014 and when it was reported to police on April 17.
According to the affidavit, students told police they saw Young inappropriately touch a 6-year-old girl on multiple occasions. The victim told police that Young would hug her and give her candy at the driver's station when she got on the bus prior to sexually assaulting her.
A school official also reported on April 23 that they saw the victim standing in front of Young and between his legs at the driver's station, with Young's hand on the victim's back. The official said that he spoke with Young and told him not to touch the students. According to the affidavit, the official said this happened on Jan. 26.
Young was placed on leave on April 17 and terminated on April 27.
AISD said the investigation centers around one student, but school leaders are doing a comprehensive investigation. They did a background check on Young when he was hired, and it came back clean. He has no known criminal record.
AISD said counseling and other student support services will be available on campus for students, families and staff.
The full statement from AISD reads as follows:
"The safety and security of all students is the top priority at Walnut Creek Elementary School. It is with regret that we inform the public about a warrant that has been issued for the arrest of an AISD bus driver on a charge of aggravated sexual assault, for an incident involving a Walnut Creek Elementary School student. The bus driver was terminated April 27. Counseling and other student support services will be available on campus for students, families and staff."
Investigators said it's thanks to two young students Young is in jail. AISD Police Chief Eric Mendez commended them for prompting the investigation.
"The bravery of those two children is just huge. I mean, I have no words to express how proud I am of those witnesses because they were strong enough to come forward report something they believed was not right. And because of them coming forward and reporting it, we were able to conduct an investigation and get probable cause that a sexual assault occurred," Mendez said.
Young started with AISD in December of 2010 and this appears to be his first job as a bus driver. School officials said he went through a state and national background check. KVUE look into his criminal history and that also came back clean.
The newer model school buses at Walnut Creek have cameras on board but the bus involved in the alleged assault did not, according to Mendez. He said since the incident, all buses have been replaced with ones that are equipped with cameras.
AISD police are still investigating to see if there are other victims.
"We always hope for the best that we only have one victim but we always prepare for the worst and that there may be a possibility of others," said AISD Police Chief Eric Mendez.
District officials say an assistant principal resigned May 6. They did not say if the administrator was the one who witnessed Young touch a student in January.
Psychological evaluator Zack Tedder said in cases like this, the perpetrator seems to groom the victim by gaining their trust in ways like handing out candy, and people may not suspect anything at first, but it's vital for parents to talk to their kids about being aware of those around them.
"They're not really worried or concerned about him because he is a member of the school district and by all intensive purposes, this man is hired by our school district to transport these children safely," Tedder said. "It's important for parents to talk about stranger danger, even with people who are to be trusted, we should still have a modicum of just being a little cautious. Unfortunately, these things happen every day."
Young was booked in the Williamson County Jail on a $20,000 bond. On Friday, he was transferred to the Travis County Jail and has since posted bond.
Young is the second Walnut Creek employee to be accused of sexually assaulting a student. Former third-grade bilingual teacher Alfredo Andrade-Gaytan is accused of sexually assaulting four students and is charged with four counts of indecency with a child by exposure.
SCHOOL BUS CAMERAS IN CENTRAL TEXAS
Mendez said there are cameras on the newer buses at Walnut Creek, however, there were none on the bus where the alleged assault occurred.
The state does not require schools to install cameras on school buses, and each individual district must decide. About 85 percent of Austin ISD's 517 school buses have cameras. There are two to four cameras in different locations on each of those buses. The district said it plans to have cameras on every bus, but it has to make sure there is money in the budget.
In Georgetown ISD, only three out of 86 buses don't have cameras, and those three buses are used as spares, the district said. GISD uses a two-camera system, with one in front and one in back, both with sound. The district plans to have four cameras per bus, including a dash camera, within the next few years.
Round Rock ISD has cameras on all 175 of its regular route buses. The cameras can record up to two weeks worth of data on a hard drive. This summer, the district is getting a new bus camera system that uses three cameras instead of two.
In Manor ISD, all 93 buses are equipped with cameras able to record in the dark and start up when the bus starts.
All 232 regular route buses in Leander ISD have cameras installed. It is currently using three different camera systems that can download data onto a hard drive.
The digital cameras used by each district turn on as soon as the bus starts and stop recording five to 10 minutes after the bus is turned off. The cameras cost between $800 and $900 each.
MEETING WITH PARENTS
Austin ISD officials met with about 100 parents Friday evening at Walnut Creek Elementary School to discuss concerns about Young. The district broke the meeting into two groups: one for Spanish-speaking parents and one for English-speaking parents.
Emotions were visibly close to the surface moments after the meeting ended.
"They're not protecting our kids. There's no cameras on these buses. There's no monitors on these buses. Screen these people. Spend the money!" said Yari Oms, a Walnut Creek Elementary parent.
"They didn't answer the questions that we asked. You know what I mean? They tried, but I'm not satisfied 100 percent," said Juan Juan DeLoera.
"It should never happen once. Unfortunately something bad happened here and we're doing everything to make sure that doesn't happen again," said Gina Hinojosa, Austin ISD school board president.
