A Lynchburg school bus driver has been arrested for alleged child strangulation during an incident on a bus parked at an elementary school, reported WDBJ 7.
Police responded to an incident at Linkhorne Elementary School March 30, after receiving a report of a disorderly individual. An investigation later determined that a school bus driver allegedly assaulted a student while the bus was parked in the schools lot.
Authorities said via the article that the investigation, conducted in coordination with Lynchburg City Schools, revealed the student had been strangled during the encounter. The child did not suffer life-threatening injuries from the alleged strangulation and is considered safe.
Effie Wynn, 73, of Lynchburg, was arrested April 4, and charged with child strangulation and neglect. She is being held without bond at the Blue Ridge Regional Jail.
Police did not release additional details about what led to the incident or the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault. Officials also did not say whether other students were present on the bus at the time.
The case remains under active investigation, and additional charges could be possible as the investigation continues. Lynchburg City Schools has not publicly commented on the arrest but has reportedly been cooperating with law enforcement.
Authorities are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward.
A man was arrested over the weekend after authorities say he stole a school bus from a high school parking lot and later abandoned it at a nearby store, reported ABC 13.
According to the news report, officers responded Saturday afternoon to a Dollar General near Glasgow High School after school officials reported that the stolen bus had been located. The vehicle showed visible scratches on the rear-passenger side and front that appeared to be recent.
Glasgow Independent Schools Superintendent Chad Muhlenkamp said GPS data indicated the bus was started at approximately 4:34 a.m., left school property and traveled along Coral Hill Road before making a stop. The bus was later parked at the Dollar General around 5:27 a.m.
Security camera footage identified the suspect as 18-year-old Tayesean M. Barlow. The footage reportedly showed Barlow entering the bus with a flashlight and appearing to have what looked like a drum magazine attached to a handgun in his waistband. He was later seen sitting in the driver’s seat, starting the bus and driving away. Police said he briefly stopped to speak with someone out of view before continuing and eventually parking the bus.
According to the article, officers later went to Barlow’s home on Coral Hill Road, where his mother told them she was aware of the situation and had instructed her son to return the stolen bus. Barlow then came outside and was taken into custody.
While being held at the Barren County Detention Center, Barlow reportedly told police he had been with friends at a local apartment complex and decided to leave after “things got a little crazy.” He said he entered the bus after finding it unlocked, located the keys and drove it home because he did not want to walk.
Barlow remains jailed on a $25,000 cash bond. He faces charges including theft by unlawful taking, second-degree criminal mischief, unlawful possession of a weapon on school property, and operating a vehicle with a suspended or revoked license.
A 78-year-old school bus monitor in South Carolina is charged with sex crimes involving a teenage girl who was riding his bus, reported The Augusta Press.
According to the news report, McDonald Walker of Aiken was charged Friday with criminal sexual conduct with a minor and criminal solicitation of a minor. The charges stem from an incident reported March 6 on a school bus.
Police stated a 14-year-old girl said she boarded the bus and took a seat when Walker approached her. “The bus monitor got up from his seat and went over to speak to her and then returned to his seat,” the report states. “The victim stated she began crying.”
Authorities reportedly said Walker allegedly made another comment to the teen girl as she was getting off the bus. Details of the alleged conduct were not immediately released, and officials said additional information is expected in formal warrants.
Aiken Public Safety Lt. Jennifer Hayes said investigators are working to obtain those warrants, which typically provide more specific descriptions of the allegations. Walker turned himself in to authorities Friday and was served with the warrants, Hayes said. He was later released after posting a $20,000 bond.
Officials have not released further details about the circumstances of the encounter or whether additional incidents are being investigated. It was also unclear if Aiken County Public Schools continued to employ the school bus monitor.
Records show Walker has previously been arrested multiple times in Aiken County. Past charges include domestic violence in 2017, 2018, and 2023, as well as violating an order of protection in 2018. He was also charged with assault and battery in 2017, a case that resulted in a sentence of 30 days in jail or a fine. The investigation remains ongoing.
Police arrested a suburban Denver school bus driver on suspicion of sexually assaulting a child.
Officers for the Lakewood Police Department were notified March 11 of a possible assault involving a 10-year-old student and the child’s school bus driver, identified as 64-year-old Robert Charles Watters, according to authorities.
A child reported that the Jefferson County Public Schools driver had engaged in what investigators described as an “inappropriate relationship,” prompting an immediate investigation.
Watters turned himself in March 12 and was taken into custody. He was arrested and faces charges on suspicion of sexual assault on a child involving a pattern of abuse and a position of trust, police said.
The allegations stem from what police called an inappropriate relationship. No further details were provided.
“As part of this investigation, detectives are asking anyone who may have information or believes they may have been a victim or witness to come forward,” police said in a March 13 statement posted to Facebook, urging the public to contact the Lakewood Police tip line.
Watters remained in custody at the Jefferson County jail as of March 13, authorities said.
According to police, Watters has worked as a school bus driver for Jefferson County Public Schools near Denver since 2018. He drove Hutchinson Elementary School students on the C-49 route from 2021 to 2023 and had been assigned to the C-31 route since August 2023.
Officials emphasized that the charges are allegations and that Watters is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Police continue to investigate and are asking anyone with information related to the case to contact authorities. The investigation remains ongoing.
A school bus aide on Long Island was arrested and accused of physically abusing multiple students with special needs, including restraining them by pushing and sitting on them, reported People.com.
According to the news report, police took 37-year-old Devone Medlock of Amityville into custody on March 17, following an investigation into an incident reported in January.
Detectives said Medlock, who worked as an aide for school bus contractor First Student and served a local school, became “physically and verbally abusive with multiple children who are special needs students.”
Medlock is reportedly accused of pushing, slamming, restraining and sitting on the students during the incident, which was first reported Jan. 13. He was arrested at his Long Island home.
Police charged Medlock with six counts of third-degree assault, six counts of menacing in the third degree, and six counts of endangering the welfare of a child. He was scheduled to be arraigned last weekend.
School District Responds
Uniondale School District Superintendent Monique Darrisaw-Akil said Medlock was immediately terminated following the allegations coming to light. The school also district notified law enforcement.
“We have been cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation and will continue to cooperate fully with law enforcement as this matter proceeds through the legal system,” Darrisaw-Akil said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority. We are committed to ensuring any individual or individuals responsible for any abusive or harmful behavior towards any of our students are held accountable.”
First Student also said the alleged conduct was unacceptable, and confirmed Medlock is no longer employed by the company.
Authorities are asking anyone who may have been a victim or has information about the case to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at at 1-800-244-TIPS.
Sarah Beckman, left, stands with other staff members of Ohio's Hamilton County Quick Response Team in an undated photo. The team helps people who use fentanyl get treatment. Ohio had the largest drop in opioid overdose deaths of any state as of October 2025 since the national peak in June 2023. (Photo courtesy of Hamilton County Quick Response Team)
Since their peak less than three years ago, opioid overdose deaths dropped nearly by half as of October, according to a Stateline analysis. The drop comes as a shrinking fentanyl supply has made the drug weaker and less deadly and volunteer efforts get more people into treatment.
The weaker fentanyl tracks to a crackdown on materials used to make fentanyl in China around the time U.S. deaths started dropping in 2023. Some experts see it as a welcome, but possibly temporary, break for states in a scourge that boosted crime as people who are using the drugs sometimes fall into homelessness and steal to support fentanyl habits.
The numbers and rates of opioid overdose deaths fell for all races between 2023 and 2026, according to more detailed data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed by Stateline. That’s in contrast to an earlier trend from 2019 to 2023, when rates dropped only among white people and rose sharply among Black and Indigenous Americans.
Ohio had the nation’s largest decrease since mid-2023, when the nation’s opioid overdose deaths peaked. Ohio has seen fewer deaths but more risky behavior lately as fentanyl supplies dry up and people turn to substitutes tainted by animal tranquilizers.
Ohio is seeing a difference in the bottom line, said Erin Reed, director of RecoveryOhio, the state agency charged with reducing overdose deaths.
“We’re seeing things you would expect — like reductions in emergency department visits and reductions in Medicaid costs,” Reed said. “But we’re also seeing a positive impact on violent crime and recidivism, and I think this is really, really encouraging. At the end of the day, people want to be safe.”
Sarah Beckman, 36, stopped using illicit drugs 11 years ago when she learned she was pregnant with her first child. Now she works through Hamilton County’s Quick Response Team to help Ohio residents who use fentanyl.
When overdoses peaked a few years ago, the team started spending more time talking to people after overdoses.
“We saw overdoses were going up and up, and going out two days a week was not enough. We expanded it to full time,” Beckman said. “That window is so small. It has to be kind of a perfect storm for an individual to be, like, ‘OK, I’m ready.’”
Even if people aren’t ready for treatment, kindness can help build trust and prevent some of the thefts and arrests that lead to police involvement, as it did for her when she stole to get money for drugs and was charged with resisting arrest, she said.
“When you’re in the midst of addiction you need help with everything. For us it’s just meeting people where they are and saying, ‘Hey, are you hungry? Do you have enough clothes?’” Beckman said. “You’re showing consistency and empathy, and by doing that you can slowly move someone closer toward accepting overdose prevention materials or hopefully, eventually, treatment.”
Nationally there were 46,066 opioid overdose deaths in the year ending with October, barely more than half the peak of 86,075 in June 2023 and the lowest since April 2017. The numbers, often delayed because of the process of determining overdose deaths, were released this month based on information available March 1 by the federal National Vital Statistics System.
Deaths fell the most in Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia and Florida since June 2023, but increased in Alaska, Arizona and Nevada.
In Ohio, annual deaths fell 63% from about 4,300 in June 2023 to about 1,600 as of October 2025.
As in many other states, deaths in Ohio started falling before 2023, but then dropped more sharply — 34% in that year alone, said Reed.
Arizona and Nevada, however, saw deaths increase since the national peak in 2023. Arizona’s border crossings with Mexico are among the largest fentanyl smuggling points in the country, with fentanyl traffic dominated by the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. One Arizona crossing, the Port of Lukeville, was the site of the largest fentanyl seizure in U.S. Customs and Border Protection history: 4 million fentanyl pills hidden in a trailer brought to the border by a 20-year-old U.S. citizen in July 2024.
The state’s notorious summer heat exacerbates overdose deaths, according to recent research.
An Arizona Army National Guard member inspects a vehicle within a railcar entering the U.S. in Nogales, Ariz., in April 2025 as part of Task Force Stopping Arizona’s Fentanyl Epidemic. Arizona is one of three states with more opioid overdose deaths as of October 2025 than at their national peak in 2023, according to a Stateline analysis. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Amber Peck/U.S. Army National Guard)
Plentiful supply from the border may help explain continued increases in Arizona, said Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, a public health workers organization.
Political infighting over how to spend the state government’s share of $1.2 billion in opioid settlement money hasn’t helped, he said. The state attorney general, governor and legislature have gone to court over plans to use some of the money to balance the state budget.
“Many other states are way ahead of Arizona when it comes to distributing the state portion of the opioid settlement dollars,” Humble said. “It could be there are fewer interventions because the state dollars are locked up. There’s this dispute in Arizona over who gets to decide. Many other states are not having this jurisdictional issue.”
On the national stage, opioid overdose deaths fell across demographic groups. Even older Americans, whose overdose death numbers had surged earlier even as they fell for other groups, saw a 25% decline from 2023 to 2025, about half the national decrease, according to the Stateline analysis.
In a sign of a weaker fentanyl supply, the Drug Enforcement Administration said in December that 29% of the pills it seized in fiscal 2025 contained a lethal dose of fentanyl, down from 76% in fiscal 2023.
“These reductions in potency and purity correlate with a decline in synthetic opioid deaths,” the DEA said.
Keith Humphreys, a health policy professor at Stanford University who testified to the U.S. Senate in 2023 about increases in accidental overdose deaths among older adults, told Stateline that a “fentanyl supply shock” originating in China made fentanyl supplies weaker. That would include fentanyl-tainted cocaine, which had caused many deaths among older Black men, Humphreys said.
“This likely includes some long-term cocaine users who had the bad luck to get cocaine that had fentanyl in it,” Humphreys said in an interview. White women are more likely to overdose on prescription drugs in order to commit suicide, a trend that would be less likely to be affected by fentanyl supply, he added.
Humphreys and a team of other researchers, in a Science magazine report published in January, found a “drought” of fentanyl that could be traced on the social media platform Reddit.
Elevated mentions of a “drought” started in May 2023, nearly the same time as overdoses began to drop, their research found. Also, the Drug Enforcement Administration reported decreasing potency in seized fentanyl and fewer seizures, both indicating a shortage of supply.
“Drug dealers often adapt to supply shortages by lowering purity more than raising prices,” the report stated. The likely reason: China cracked down on source chemicals for making illicit fentanyl. Such “precursor” chemicals typically arrive from China and are processed in Mexico before being smuggled into the U.S. as illicit fentanyl.
“Actions by the government of China that resulted in greater scrutiny of production and export of precursor chemicals, including the removal of online advertisements and several marketplaces,” may have been what caused the drought in fentanyl and thus saved lives, the report concluded.
The DEA concluded that Mexican fentanyl producers were cutting potency because they were having a hard time finding source chemicals from China, the report noted. That makes it likely supply is the biggest reason for the drop in deaths, not enhanced U.S. border searches or other actions such as the Trump administration’s attacks on drug boats off the South American coast. Those boats are typically used to transport cocaine rather than fentanyl.
Data shows a similar drop in overdose deaths in Canada, where fentanyl supplies are usually produced from Chinese chemicals inside the country rather than smuggled in. That’s another reason to suspect that China’s crackdown affected both countries, despite differing policies and law enforcement strategies.
In their Science article, Humphreys and the other researchers noted that the recent decline in deaths offers the chance to prepare for future opioid-related problems.
“The incentive to restore the fentanyl trade will persist as long as there is demand for the drug,” the authors wrote. “It may be wise to use the current drought as an opportunity to ramp up the prevention and treatment programs that have evidence of decreasing demand.”
There have been some more recent upticks in death numbers.
Colorado saw an increase in synthetic opioid overdose deaths starting in late 2024, according to a Common Sense Institute report released this month. The institute is nonpartisan but has ties to the Republican Party, and concluded the state needs stiffer penalties for fentanyl possession and distribution, similar to Texas law. Opioid overdose deaths in Colorado are down 9% since the national peak in 2023, according to the Stateline analysis.
In Ohio, the recent trend among people who use fentanyl is to find pills spiked with an animal tranquilizer that causes severe addiction, said Beckman, of the Hamilton County Quick Response Team. Three recent clients survived overdoses but required emergency treatment, she said.
“We can educate people in the community: ‘Hey, your drugs are not what you thought they were, that’s why you’re experiencing all these weird side effects,’” Beckman said. “These substances are so severe that a traditional detox hasn’t been able to handle them.”
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
A North Carolina man was arrested after authorities say he exposed himself at a neighborhood school bus stop, where children and families were gathered, reported Fox 8.
Police arrested Angel Esteban Marte, 24, March 5 and charged with felony indecent exposure after the incident in Harnett County.
Deputies said Marte exposed his private parts at the bus stop, and investigators said the act was committed “for the purpose of arousing and gratifying the defendant’s sexual desire.”
Marte also faces a misdemeanor indecent exposure charge in connection with the incident.
The exact location of the bus stop was not specified. The offense is listed as a violent crime on a condition of release order.
According to the article, Marte was being held without bond at the Harnett County Jail. He was scheduled to make his first court appearance.
A 38-year-old man already facing charges in a separate case is accused of pointing what appeared to be a long gun at a school bus transporting nine children in southern Minnesota, reported Fox 9.
According to the news report, police charged Alex Jeffrey Wolters with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and threats of violence following the March 5 incident in Faribault.
Police said officers received a report around 7:40 a.m. from a school bus aide who claimed they saw a man brandishing a gun. Investigators later identified the man as Wolters.
Law enforcement officials reviewed video from the school bus that showed the aide reacting after spotting the object. The bus was transporting nine children at the time of the incident. Authorities arrested Wolters several hours later.
During a post-Miranda interview, Wolters denied pointing anything at the bus but acknowledged he had been in his home garage that morning. He told police he had been working on an insulation project and went into the garage to retrieve an item. Officers later found a copper tube and black plastic tubing in the home’s attic that, when combined, resembled a long gun.
Police also spoke with Wolters’ father, who allowed investigators to inspect two-gun safes inside the home. Authorities said one safe appeared to have been tampered with since the father said he last used it. Another safe appeared partially opened but remained locked.
The complaint states the tampered safe contained several rifles, shotguns and a pistol, while the other safe held two pellet rifles.
Court records indicate Wolters was already on pretrial supervision in a separate 2025 case involving threats of violence. He allegedly threatened to “murder everyone” in a local apartment building, saying he would go to a police station and “kill the police.”
A mother is facing multiple charges after authorities allege she assaulted a school bus driver while trying to board her children in Cobb County, Georgia, reported WSB-TV 2.
According to the news report, Zaria Stovall is accused of boarding a Marietta City Schools bus and confronting the driver Feb. 24.
Police say via the article that Stovall refused to get off the bus and threatened the driver. The encounter escalated into a physical altercation, during which Stovall allegedly struck the driver and threw a spray bottle at him.
Stovall’s children were on the bus at the time of the incident. Authorities have not said what prompted the confrontation.
She was charged with simple assault, simple battery, criminal trespassing and disruption of public-school education, according to authorities.
Stovall later posted a $5,000 bond, jail records show. Authorities have not released additional details about the driver’s condition.
A school bus driver is facing dozens of charges after authorities say she drove a bus carrying 54 elementary school children while heavily intoxicated.
An arrest warrant was issued for Kelly Weber, 46, of Boyertown. She is charged with driving under the influence, 54 counts of endangering the welfare of children, 54 counts of reckless endangerment and several summary offenses, according to the office of Kevin R. Steele and Robert B. Evans.
Police said the drunk driving incident with children on board occurred around 4 p.m. Feb. 6 in Douglass Township after authorities received reports of a school bus driving erratically, narrowly missing other vehicles and nearly striking a telephone pole.
An officer located the bus near Second Avenue and Gilbert Road, where it had come to rest in a snowbank.
Investigators said the bus belonged to Quigley Bus Service. Officers reported finding an open 750-milliliter bottle of Tito’s Handmade Vodka on the bus, along with two empty 50-milliliter bottles of the same brand. Police also recovered a receipt showing the alcohol had been purchased at a Fine Wine & Good Spirits earlier that morning.
Authorities said Weber consented to a blood test. Results from NMS Labs showed her blood alcohol concentration was 0.331. Testing also detected Delta-9 Carboxy THC at a level of 6.6.
Drunk Driving Incident Endangers Dozens of Children
Investigators determined that 54 children were on the bus during the route, including five under age 6. Authorities said several children contacted their parents during the ride, saying they were frightened by the driver’s behavior. One child got off the bus early and was picked up by parents.
“More than 50 young children were in a dangerous situation created by this defendant, who chose to consume a significant amount of alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a school bus and drive miles while intoxicated,” Steele said in a statement.
Officials said Weber checked herself into a rehabilitation facility shortly after the incident. Police said arrangements are being made for her to surrender to authorities, after which she will be arraigned on the drunk driving and endangerment charges, and bail will be set.
Two boys, 12 and 15 years old, were taken into custody after allegedly stealing a school bus in New York and crashing into a residential home early on Feb. 26, reported CBS 6.
According to the news report, the school bus theft originated at the Amazing Grace Transportation lot at approximately 6 a.m. on Feb. 27. The bus was then driven to a nearby home, where it crashed.
Despite some property damage, emergency responders confirmed that no residents inside the home were injured. Residents in the neighborhood reported hearing the crash and expressed relief that no one was hurt, though many were shaken by the early morning disruption.
Investigators said the two juveniles fled the scene on foot after the crash but were located nearby and detained by police officers.
Both boys face charges that include criminal possession of stolen property and criminal mischief, authorities said. Because of their ages, the case will likely progress through family court proceedings rather than the adult criminal justice system.
Officials have not released additional details regarding the motive behind the school bus theft or whether the suspects have legal representation. The investigation remains active as law enforcement continues to piece together how juveniles accessed the bus managed to drive it off the transportation company lot.
Police arrested and charged a candidate for the Johnston County Board of Commissioners in connection with a hit-and-run crash involving a school bus in Four Oaks, North Carolina, reported WRAL News.
Chad Stewart allegedly failed to slow down and crashed into the back of a stopped school bus last Thursday. Authorities charged Stewart with failure to stop for a stopped school bus, hit-and-run resulting in property damage, and failure to reduce speed to avoid a collision. He was arrested Friday.
Seven students from Johnston County Early College and Johnston County Career and Technical Leadership Academy school bus passengers at the time of the crash. No injuries were reported.
Stewart is running for the District 3 seat on the Johnston County Board of Commissioners in the upcoming Republican primary. He previously served on the board from 2013 to 2021, including terms as chairman and vice chairman.
A judge issued Stewart a $20,000 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for April 10.
Authorities in Georgia are searching for a woman accused of stealing a full-size school bus from an elementary school parking lot and taking it on a late-night drive across county lines, reported Fox News.
The school bus was reportedly taken from Arbor Springs Elementary School in Coweta County during the early morning hours Feb. 9. The vehicle was later recovered nearly 40 miles away in Temple, located in Carroll County.
Investigators reportedly said the suspect did not appear to force entry into the bus, as she seemingly had access to a key. Internal surveillance cameras installed on the vehicle captured images of the woman during the incident. Authorities noted that a bag or purse could be seen being placed on the front seat in the footage.
The school bus was recovered without any visible damage, and officials confirmed the incident occurred on school property outside of normal school hours. No injuries have been reported.
The case remains under investigation. The sheriff’s office is asking for the public’s assistance, particularly residents in the Temple area, to help identify the suspect.
A New Britain man was charged with 12 counts of risk of injury to a child after police say he failed to intervene while middle school students fought with and sexually assaulted other students on a school bus he was driving last October, reported CT Insider.
Dominic Jimerson, 61, was arrested Jan. 21 and was scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 4 in Manchester Superior Court. Has released on a $5,000 bond.
Jimerson was reportedly driving a Dattco-contracted school bus carrying 11- to 14-year-old Timothy Edwards Middle School students from South Windsor to Hartford, with multiple drop-offs along the route.
Police said Jimerson failed to act as multiple incidents unfolded on the bus, including fights and sexual assaults involving students. Investigators said school bus drivers are responsible for the welfare, safety and security of students and are trained as mandated reporters for the state Department of Children and Families. Drivers are also required to intervene when a child’s safety or welfare is in jeopardy.
Jimerson’s manager reportedly told police that Jimerson filed a report about the students’ behavior after the incident and informed the company he would not drive the route again. Even after being told that a bus monitor would be assigned to the route, Jimerson refused to return.
According to the report, Jimerson had multiple options to intervene prior, including stopping the bus, addressing the students directly, contacting the bus dispatcher, and contacting the district or police. South Windsor police became aware of the incident after a video showing a student attempting to sexually assault another student began circulating on Snapchat. The mother of a student who was allegedly assaulted also contacted school administrators.
Investigators obtained video footage from the bus, which was provided by the Capitol Region Education Council. Police said via the article that some students were actively involved in the assaults, while others were “uninvolved participants, but clearly intimidated or upset by the actions of others.”
At one point in the video, police reportedly heard muffled screams from a student who appeared to be held down in a seat. In another video, a student can be heard alerting the Jimerson. But police said Jimerson did not respond.
Several students involved in the incident are under investigation for crimes against one another and are considered both victims and suspects in alleged breaches of peace and sexual misconduct. The warrant identifies six suspects: One 11-year-old, one 12-year-old and four 13-year-olds. Police said they will not release information about juvenile arrests.
Lt. Mark Cleverdon of the South Windsor Police Department said no additional details regarding juveniles would be disclosed.
Jimerson did not speak with police during the investigation. Attorney Patrick Paoletti contacted police on Jimerson’s behalf and asked investigators to direct any communication through him. But police said Paoletti did not return follow-up calls.
The Judicial Branch lists Paoletti as an attorney for Dattco. Calls to Paoletti and Dattco were not returned. The case remains under investigation.
Attorneys for the Palm Beach County School Board argued in court last month that a student with autism who was a victim of sexual assault on a school bus at age 3 and a half did not suffer long-lasting trauma as a result of the attack, a claim strongly disputed by a medical expert testifying for the child’s family, reported The Palm Beach Post.
During testimony Thursday, Miami psychiatrist Dr. Michael Hughes told jurors the sexual assault had a profound and enduring impact on the girl, now 9, affecting her emotional development, learning ability and overall quality of life. Hughes rejected the school board’s assertion that the child’s ongoing difficulties stem solely from pre-existing developmental disabilities.
“The younger the child, the greater the impact of the trauma,” Hughes testified via the article, adding that early childhood experiences play a critical role in long-term development. He explained that the girl’s silence about the January 2007 sexual assault does not indicate a lack of memory or harm.
The girl was riding a school bus carrying special-needs students of varying ages when she was assaulted by a 15-year-old “emotionally disturbed boy.” The school district does not dispute that the assault occurred. Instead, its attorneys argue the district should not be held financially responsible for years of therapy and specialized education. It says the therapy is unrelated to the incident.
According to the news report, Hughes testified that the attack caused the child to withdraw from the world, stunting her curiosity and learning. He noted that adults on the school bus, the driver and a bus aide, failed to protect or comfort her, reinforcing a sense of fear and helplessness.
According to Hughes, the girl’s academic progress has significantly declined. Now in fourth grade, she is reportedly completing preschool-level work. Her I.Q. score dropped from 77 to 67 between first and third grade, placing her in the borderline intellectually disabled range.
“She’s not plateauing — she’s falling further behind,” Hughes said, recommending extensive therapy and specialized education as her only chance at achieving a functional adult life.
School board attorney Thomas McCausland reportedly challenged Hughes’ conclusions, arguing that fluctuations in I.Q. scores are common and can be influenced by factors such as fatigue or nutrition. McCausland also questioned whether the child’s behavior toward Hughes, allowing him to hug her and kiss her forehead, was consistent with someone who views the world as threatening.
Earlier testimony from the girl’s parents described behavioral changes following the sexual assault, including aggression toward toys and family members and rejection of traditionally feminine clothing. McCausland reportedly countered that some of these behaviors predated the incident and suggested that conflicts with her half-brother stem from competitive video gaming.
Jurors appeared engaged, with one asking the father how the girl behaved immediately after the assault. He testified she exited the bus “like an ordinary child.”
The alleged assailant, now 21, was deemed incompetent to stand trial and refused to testify, invoking his Fifth Amendment rights. The bus aide, Grenisha Williams, was fired and later convicted of child neglect. Jurors were shown video footage from the bus, which captured the boy’s movements during the sexual assault, though the girl was not visible due to her size.
Cross-examination of Dr. Hughes is expected to continue as the trial proceeds.
Barbed wire and fences surround the Charles H. Hickey Jr. School, a juvenile detention center in Maryland. Juvenile justice is one of the focuses of criminal justice legislation nationwide this year, including in Maryland, where lawmakers are considering a bill that would reduce the number of juveniles charged as adults. (Photo by Amanda Watford/Stateline)
Criminal justice has emerged as one of the most wide-ranging and politically charged areas on lawmakers’ agendas in this year’s state legislative sessions. Across the country, legislators are weighing proposals that affect nearly every part of the criminal justice system, including policing, gun policy, solving crimes, sentencing, prison oversight and reentry support.
The breadth of legislation reflects how deeply crime policy intersects with daily life, shaping public safety, civil rights, state spending and the scope of law enforcement. It also comes amid a shifting national conversation about crime itself. While violent crime rose during the pandemic, recent data shows declines in many categories, despite continued public concern.
According to Gallup’s most recent annual crime poll, Americans’ perceptions of crime improved in 2025. Approximately 49% of adults now say crime is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States, and the same share believe crime has increased in the past year. Both figures are down significantly from 2024 and are at their lowest levels since at least 2018.
Still, crime remains a top political issue, particularly in statehouses where lawmakers may face pressure to respond to high-profile incidents and constituent fears.
Gun policy
Firearm-related legislation has moved quickly in several states, with lawmakers pursuing sharply different approaches that reflect regional politics and partisan control.
In Democratic-led states, lawmakers have advanced proposals aimed at tightening restrictions on firearms.
Virginia House Democrats approved a sweeping package of bills this month that would restrict access to assault-style weapons, tighten firearm storage and transfer rules, limit where guns can be carried in public and expand civil liability for the gun industry. The bills are now being considered in the Senate.
Maryland lawmakers are debating a measure that would prohibit the manufacture, sale, purchase or transfer of certain handguns that can be converted into automatic weapons using an illegal accessory known as a pistol converter.
The bill doesn’t name specific firearm models, but it would effectively ban secondhand sales of some popular discontinued guns. In urging its members to oppose the bill, the National Rifle Association’s legislative arm says on its website, “These conversion devices are already illegal, yet this proposal targets responsible firearm owners rather than criminals who ignore existing law.”
But sponsors noted that the measure would exempt current owners of the affected firearms and argued that it doesn’t punish responsible firearm owners. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott led a rally last week in favor of the bill, saying it would reduce homicides. And a high school student testified to lawmakers about her fears of a school shooting.
Other states have focused on regulating firearm sales.
New Mexico senators passed legislation restricting certain firearm transactions, while lawmakers in New York and Washington state have proposed measures that would prohibit the production and possession of 3D-printing files used to manufacture gun parts to build so-called ghost guns.
Gun control advocates say 3D-printed guns are becoming more common, especially among young people. Just this week, a ghost gun was recovered after a student was shot inside a Maryland high school. The student’s injuries weren’t life threatening, and a suspect has been charged with attempted murder.
But some gun rights advocates say those measures go too far.
We believe that making your own firearms, if you have the skills to do it, is an American tradition. It literally dates back to the founding of our country.
– Chris Stone, director of state and local affairs for Gun Owners of America
“We believe that making your own firearms, if you have the skills to do it, is an American tradition. It literally dates back to the founding of our country,” said Chris Stone, the director of state and local affairs for Gun Owners of America, one of the country’s largest gun advocacy groups. The group opposes bans on 3D-printing firearms.
Republican-led states are pushing in the opposite direction, removing specific firearm regulations, limiting local regulation, strengthening legal protections for gun shops and dismantling “gun-free” zones, such as areas near schools or inside government buildings.
South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden signed a bill into law this week that deregulates gun silencers, or suppressors. These devices will be removed from the state’s definition of a controlled weapon.
In Georgia, lawmakers approved a ban that would keep local governments from adopting gun storage requirements. The bill has not yet been sent to Republican Gov. Brian Kemp for consideration.
In South Carolina, legislators have proposed a measure that would protect gun shops from being held liable in lawsuits when crimes are committed with products they sold, as long as the original sale was lawful. That bill remains in committee.
Florida lawmakers advanced legislation last month to lower the age to purchase long guns to 18. The West Virginia Senate also passed a bill that would allow 18- to 20-year-olds to carry concealed weapons without a permit, removing current training and licensing requirements for that age group.
New Hampshire and Wyoming legislators are considering proposals that would prohibit public colleges and universities from regulating whether students, faculty or visitors are able to carry concealed firearms and nonlethal weapons on campus.
Immigration and policing
Questions about the role of law enforcement — particularly in immigration enforcement — have become a flashpoint in state legislatures, as lawmakers debate how closely local and state agencies should cooperate with federal authorities.
In some states, lawmakers are moving to require or expand cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Bills in Alabama, Arizona, Iowa and Kentucky would encourage or mandate that state or local law enforcement agencies collaborate with ICE or expand officers’ authority to question or detain people over their immigration status. Supporters argue the measures are necessary to enforce federal law and improve public safety.
Other states are taking the opposite approach. In Virginia this month, Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger ended a 287(g) agreement with ICE that allowed state police and corrections officers to assist the agency with certain federal immigration enforcement functions. Spanberger, who has a background in law enforcement, had promised in her campaign to end the agreement, saying she wants policing agencies to focus on their core duties.
The move drew sharp criticism from state Republican leaders, with GOP lawmakers arguing that the decision prioritizes politics over public safety and could expose the state to retaliation from the Trump administration.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, introduced a similar proposal last month that appears to be gaining more support from police and elected officials.
The Maryland House and Senate this month also overwhelmingly approved bills that would prohibit 287(g) agreements between local police and federal immigration agencies. Democratic Gov. Wes Moore is expected to sign them. Several local law enforcement officials across the state have urged the governor to veto the measures, arguing that ending the agreements would lead to more federal immigration enforcement activity and higher crime rates.
Beyond immigration, legislatures also are grappling with broader questions about policing authority and accountability.
In Indiana, lawmakers approved legislation expanding the role of the National Guard’s military police in certain law enforcement functions, giving the governor authority that some Democrats say could be abused.
Iowa lawmakers are considering a proposal that would eliminate affirmative action and anti-bias training requirements for police officers.
A bill in Utah would create the Violent Crime Clearance Rate Fund, which would provide grants to law enforcement agencies to support efforts to improve the rate at which violent crimes are solved.
Sentencing and prison conditions
State legislatures also are revisiting what happens after arrest, with several states considering tougher penalties for certain crimes.
Iowa Republicans have proposed a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence for some repeat offenders.
Alabama lawmakers are considering a bill that would raise the base penalty for fleeing from police from a misdemeanor to a felony, with harsher penalties for repeat offenses and other aggravating factors.
The Kentucky House advanced a bill aimed at cracking down on street racing. It would impose penalties of up to 30 days in jail and $1,000 in fines, and allow vehicles used in the offense to be destroyed or auctioned to support the state’s crime victims compensation fund.
Other states are pursuing more rehabilitative approaches.
Lawmakers in Washington state are considering legislation that would give people serving long sentences a new pathway to release.
Oklahoma lawmakers have proposed a measure that would eliminate the requirement that a prison inmate serve a set amount of time before becoming eligible for good-time credits, which would also allow people awaiting transfer to prison to earn these credits sooner.
Last month, Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Clean Slate Act into law, paving the way for an estimated 1.7 million adults with nonviolent criminal records to have them automatically sealed beginning in 2029.
Juvenile justice debates also have been unfolding alongside these efforts.
States including Colorado, Utah, Missouri, Maryland and Kansas are reconsidering when young people can be charged as adults, how long they can be detained and what role rehabilitation should play.
In Kansas, for example, lawmakers are considering expanding judges’ authority to send youths to juvenile prison and increasing detention limits, moves that opponents say would reverse a decade of changes designed to keep low-risk youths out of custody.
In recent years, poor prison conditions and lax oversight have emerged as a bipartisan concern, driven in part by staffing shortages and the rising costs associated with incarceration.
Florida legislators are considering proposals that would create an independent ombudsman to monitor prison conditions. Alabama and Arizona lawmakers have filed measures that would address oversight of food services in prisons and fund the state’s independent prison oversight office, respectively.
Several states are working to expand death penalty options, both for crimes and for execution methods.
Alabama legislators passed a measure this month that would expand the death penalty to include child sex crimes. The bill is now awaiting the signature of Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who expressed her support for the proposal last month.
In Indiana, lawmakers considered a proposal that would add firing squad and gas as execution methods.
In New Hampshire, lawmakers are considering two Republican-backed bills that would reinstate the death penalty — nearly seven years after the state voted to abolish it. One bill would bring it back for homicide or sexual assault offenses against children under 13, while the other proposal would reinstate it for capital murder, which would combine the murder with aggravating circumstances.
Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte told reporters last fall she would like to see capital punishment restored in the state.
This story was originally produced by Stateline, which is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network which includes Wisconsin Examiner, and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
Investigators say surveillance video shows a school bus aide repeatedly physically abusing a 10-year-old student with disabilities while the bus driver watched and, at times, laughed.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrests on Jan. 30, following a child abuse investigation that began in mid-November, after a witness reported seeing a school bus aide strike the boy while parked at Caminiti Exceptional School.
According to investigators, video capture Juanita Wright, 79, a school bus monitor for Hillsborough County Public Schools, striking the minimally verbal student diagnosed with autism and ADHD on 14 separate days between Oct. 2 and Nov. 14, Authorities say the footage shows Wright hitting the boy in the head and on his back, pulling him by the hair, and wresting his backpack away as he remained seated.
Wright was charged with 14 counts of child abuse. The bus driver, Tonya Rice-Constant, 62, is charged with failure to report child abuse. Prosecutors allege she saw the abuse, did not intervene, and at least once appeared to smile or laugh while watching the incidents in her rear-view mirror.
Sheriff Chad Chronister condemned the conduct as “a level of cruelty that is deeply disturbing,” calling it “an inexcusable betrayal of trust” when adults entrusted with a child’s welfare cause harm and fail to act. Deputies reviewed internal school bus video and identified multiple incidents before the report was made.
The investigation remains active to determine if additional victims exist.
“A defenseless child was physically abused by someone entrusted with their care, while another adult failed to intervene and instead laughed,” Chronister said. “It is an inexcusable betrayal of trust and a profound lack of humanity.”
In a statement shared by local media, the district said Wright was hired in 2012, removed from duty in November after the allegations surfaced, and later fired. Rice-Constant retired from the district in November, when the investigation into the alleged child abuse began. Both cases will proceed through the court system as authorities continue to investigate.
Horrific video shows the moments before a school bus struck 11-year-old Amira Aminova as she ran across a Brooklyn street after buying chocolate at a bodega.
Amira Animova in an undated photo posted on GoFundMe.
Police reportedly arrested Wawa Aurelus, 62, the school bus driver who hit Aminova but did not stop at the scene. He was arrested Friday, according to multiple news reports, following the incident that occurred shortly after school let out at 3 p.m. Thursday in the Bath Beach neighborhood.
Aurelus was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care, both misdemeanors, according to the New York Times.
The video shows Aminova standing on the corner of Bath Ave. at 23rd Ave. and proceeding to cross the street, apparently with seconds remaining on the red-flashing countdown pedestrian signal. As Aminova starts to run across the street, the school bus is seen coming into view heading south on 23rd Ave. and instigating a right-hand turn onto Bath Ave. The bus never stops, and the video cuts out right before it hits the sixth grader.
Aminova was at least the fifth student pedestrian killed this school year nationwide by a school bus, according to School Transportation News research.
State Sen. Steve Chan, a former NYPD officer, represents the 17th district that comprises part of South Brooklyn. He told STN he does not understand how Aurelus did not realize he struck Aminova and continued his route.
“Spending 27 years as a police officer, I’ve seen many accidents involving school buses, tractor trailers and small trucks. Often, a driver will not know when they hit someone in the leg or brushed up against their body. However, in this particular case, I’ve reviewed video tape of the incident from start to finish. This bus driver should have known that he rolled over a person or something,” Chan wrote in an email Saturday. “If he had looked into the rear or side view mirror, he would have seen her on the ground. The intersection was clear and visibility was good. The roadway was dry and flat. The snow built up in the corners was not a factor. There were no other drivers or pedestrians in this intersection. The pedestrian was crossing with the crosswalk and a green light. She did break into a sprint. However, the bus driver had a clear line of sight at the intersection.
“As far as I can tell, this tragedy is the result of complete driver inattention,” he continued. “Of course, I know most school bus drivers are dedicated individuals who help our community every day. But I must ask everyone to use extra caution, especially when making a turn.”
Police later located Aurelus, an employee of Consolidated Bus Service, and took him to the 62nd Precinct for questioning, reported CBS New York. Chan posted on Facebook the driver was detained “a short distance away” from the scene of the collision.
Consolidated Bus Service had not responded to an email seeking comment at this report.
An investigation by the NYPD fatal collision unit continues. A GoFundMe page was set up for Aminova’s mother to help cover funeral and burial costs in Uzbekistan. She immigrated with her daughter to the U.S. several years ago.
New details emerged from an incident involving a student with a handgun while riding a school bus in Kanawha County, West Virginia that led to a teacher’s aide also being arrested, reported Metro News.
St. Albans Police Department officers were called on Jan. 21 after a student at Hayes Middle School was discovered with a handgun on his school bus around 3:15 p.m. A school employee who was on board the bus confiscated the weapon and turned it over to school officials.
Police said the juvenile was later released into the custody of a guardian, who indicated they had no knowledge the student possessed a firearm. Authorities also revealed the handgun had been reported stolen the night before the incident.
As the investigation continued, police then arrested Heather Dawn Sherrod, 46, of St. Albans, a teacher’s aide at Hayes Middle School. Sherrod was charged with failing to report a firearm and was taken into custody.
A criminal complaint was filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court. Investigators learned that Sherrod was informed by a student around 8:30 a.m. on Jan. 21 that a handgun had been pointed at another student. Police allege that despite being a mandated reporter, Sherrod did not report the incident. The complaint states Sherrod admitted she knew she was required to report the information but failed to do so.
Sherrod is currently being held at South Central Regional Jail on a $2,500 bond. The St. Albans Police Department continues to work closely with the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office as the investigation remains ongoing.
Authorities in Elk River, Minnesota are investigating how a man abducted a 7-year-old girl from her school bus stop.
According to a statement from the Sherbourne County Sheriff’s Office, the child exited her school bus just before 4 p.m. last Wednesday and was reported missing at approximately 6:30 p.m. An extensive search resulted in no information about her whereabouts.
Investigators later determined that the girl had likely been abducted. “An extensive search by law enforcement, first responders and the public didn’t reveal her whereabouts, and investigators had no corroboration that she had potentially left the area in a vehicle until hours later,” said Sherbourne County Sheriff’s Office Commander Ben Zawacki.
The sheriff’s office issue an Amber Alert at 11:40 p.m., after authorities confirmed the abduction. The investigation led officials to a white Dodge Ram believed to be connected to the disappearance. Around 1 a.m. Thursday, law enforcement agencies located the suspect vehicle and found the 7-year-old girl inside.
“The girl was safe and the suspect was arrested,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Joseph Bragg, 28, was charged in connection with the child’s abduction. No additional details about the suspect or the circumstances surrounding the incident have been released. The investigation remains ongoing.
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