Bus Driver Resigns Over Abuse Allegation

A bus driver resigned from his post Monday, distraught over allegations that a 12-year-old boy had sexually assaulted a 3-year-old hearing impaired girl on the ride home after classes Friday.

"He is very upset.  He is a quality man and a very nice man.  This really bothered him," said District 56 Supt. John Hutton.

Gurnee Police have arrested the youth accused of the attack, who was just one of four people on the bus.  A 9-year-old boy from Waukegan was unharmed.

"It was very clear from the onset that something serious had occurred on this bus," said Gurnee Police Commander Jay Patrick about his review of the buses surveillance video.  It was the first time the camera has been used for a police incident.

Police were notified by Gurnee District 56 school officials on Friday that the girl's mother contacted the school after her daughter said she was "hurt" by some boys on the bus, Gurnee police said.

The 12-year-old was arrested Sunday and taken to the Depke Juvenile Justice Center in Vernon Hills, where he was held in the detention area.

School officials say they're doing an internal investigation.

"There was nothing in their past or background that would indicate that we would have a problem on the bus," said Hutton when asked why there wasn't a chaperone on that particular bus. 

The Illinois Department of Child and Family Services is also investigating.

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