INDIANAPOLIS — A Pike Township bus driver is facing felony charges following accusations that she assaulted and choked a student on the bus.
According to court documents, Leslie Sea is now facing felony charges from an incident on the bus and it all played out in front of a bus full of students.
“He had scratches all up and down his neck,” said the boy’s mother, Ashlee. She said her son was left traumatized after an incident last month.
According to court documents, it all began when the bus driver had to reroute due to an accident.
“The bus driver refused to answer the kids’ questions,” Ashlee said. “Like ‘Why are we turning around’?”
The mother said her son, who has special needs, became confused and attempted to get off the bus at an earlier stop. According to police – that’s when Sea grabbed the student.
“She grabbed him by the neck, pushed him onto the seats,” Ashlee said. “Put her hands around his neck and started squeezing and scratching. The other students were trying to pull her off.”
Police and school officials were called.
“At the time, the officers were under the impression that the driver was assaulted,” said Superintendent of MSD of Pike Township Larry Young.
Young said the director of transportation met the driver and finished the route to get the kids home safely.
Sea has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation.
“It’s a personnel issue so I can’t share too many details about this particular situation but I would always want our families to know safety is a priority,” Young said.
Young said they are continuing to provide training for bus drivers and use any incident as an opportunity to improve practices. Meanwhile, the student is expected to be okay.
