Bus driver, aide charged with neglect after boy left on bus

CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) - A northwestern Indiana bus driver and a bus aide have been charged with felony neglect after leaving a 3-year-old boy alone and strapped in his seat for nearly 1ˆ½ hours with the vehicle parked inside a storage barn.

The (Northwest Indiana) Times reports 71-year-old bus driver Sylvia Pavich of Munster and 28-year-old Lindsey Gillette of Gary each posted a $1,000 cash bond after being charged this week.

Pavich told police she picked the boy up about 8:45 a.m. Nov. 13 at his home, dropped other students off at a Munster school and parked the bus at 9:10 a.m. in the barn. Court records say he was found shortly after 10:30 a.m.

Pavich's attorney, John Rupp, says the charge requires an intentional act and none occurred.

Online court records don't show an attorney for Gillette.

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Information from: The Times, http://www.nwitimes.com