Gurnee cops investigating possible abuse on school bus
A 12-year-old Gurnee boy is being held by Lake County juvenile authorities in connection with the alleged sexual assault of a 3-year-old hearing-impaired girl on a school bus.
No charges have been filed yet in the alleged assault, which Gurnee police say was recorded by the vehicle's onboard video camera Friday afternoon. Police Cmdr. Jay Patrick said the boy is in the Depke Juvenile Justice Center near Vernon Hills after being taken into custody by police Sunday night.
The allegation also led to the resignation Monday of the 71-year-old man who was driving the Gurnee Elementary District 56 bus at the time. The man has told police he didn't notice any problems involving the children on the bus.
District 56 Superintendent John Hutton said the former driver "feels horrible about the situation," and he resigned his job first thing Monday morning.
"He's a real nice man who feels absolutely horrible that this took place," Hutton said. "He's a father too, just like me, and I didn't get much sleep over it this weekend either."
Patrick said the district was contacted by the mother of the 3-year-old girl who complained some boys on the bus had hurt her sometime before she was dropped off at her Wadsworth home at 3 p.m.
The 12-year-old and a 9-year-old Waukegan boy were the only students on the bus when the girl was picked up at her Vernon Hills-area school, Patrick said.
District 56 officials contacted police at 3:25 p.m. Friday regarding the complaint, Patrick said. Police then spoke with the bus driver, who said he didn't notice any problems involving those students.
Police and school officials examined a camera installed on District 56 buses and found the assault captured on the video.
"The bus driver said he thought the older boy was reading to her," Hutton said. "He felt horrible after he found out the truth."
The victim was examined at Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital and released Friday evening, Patrick said.
Both Patrick and Hutton could not comment if the 12-year-old had any mental problems, or why he was on the bus with the girl between Vernon Hills and Wadsworth.
The Lake County State's Attorney Juvenile Division will determine what possible charges will be filed in juvenile court. Due to juvenile laws, charges against the boy will not be filed until approved by a judge during an initial hearing at the Depke Center, Patrick said.
The Department of Children and Family Services and Lake County Children's Advocacy Center are assisting in the investigation, Patrick said.
Hutton said the girl is a preschooler in the district but could not discuss her or the 12-year-old student being held for questioning.
He did say, however, that preschoolers routinely ride the buses with older children at the district.
"Because we offer preschool, we have to also offer busing for preschool students," Hutton said. "So, we routinely transport 100 preschoolers on buses with other students."
Normally, older students do not speak with younger students, Hutton said, but he added when they do mingle, it's in a friendly manner.
"We've never had a problem like this in the past," he said. "But, this is why we wrote a grant to get video cameras on buses. It not only shows us when there is a problem but also acts as a deterrent to stop problems from happening."