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Polk County school bus workers arrested
A school bus driver and bus attendant in Polk County are facing felony charges. Both are accused of tormenting a severely disabled, non-verbal teenager. FOX 13's Carla Bayron reports.
LAKE ALFRED, Fla. - A former school bus driver and an attendant face felony aggravated child abuse charges after authorities say they repeatedly sprayed a non-verbal 15-year-old student with industrial disinfectant cleaner on a bus in Lake Alfred.
Lake Alfred bus abuse investigation
What we know:
Polk County deputies charged 59-year-old bus driver Jeffrey Larson and 32-year-old bus attendant William Roberts with felony aggravated child abuse.
The principal at Karen M. Siegel Academy reviewed bus security camera footage following an increase in behavioral referrals and discovered the incidents, which occurred in late August and earlier this month.
Video showed Larson and Roberts spraying the 15-year-old boy—who has the mental capacity of a toddler—directly in his face, torso and back with a spray bottle filled with industrial disinfectant cleaner.
Read: Video: Woman with meth, pipe bomb bolts from Hillsborough deputies, hits school bus full of kids
Cameras also recorded verbal threats on the bus, including statements like, "I'll put a gag in your mouth if you don't knock it off" and "You're gonna regret this."
During an interview with deputies, Roberts admitted to spraying the boy's face up to five times and acknowledged the actions were wrong because the student could not speak or advocate for himself.
Unanswered questions in student spraying
What we don't know:
Authorities have not stated whether the 15-year-old student suffered long-term physical injuries from the chemical spray.
It is also unconfirmed exactly how many total times the chemical spray was used prior to the principal reviewing the security footage.
District response and court hearings
What they're saying:
Polk County Public Schools released a statement addressing the arrests of the bus staff.
"PCPS does not tolerate this kind of behavior from our employees, and these two individuals will no longer have any involvement with our district. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement," the district wrote in part."
Court appearance and legal custody
What's next:
Both Larson and Roberts appeared in court for their first appearances, where a judge found probable cause for the felony charges.
The two men are being held on a no-bond status until a bond hearing scheduled for Monday.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from FOX 13 reporter Carla Bayron, who reviewed court records and statements from Polk County deputies, as well as an official statement from Polk County Public Schools.