Bus Driver Accused of Sexually Assaulting 11-Year-Old Girl

The driver for a bus company is accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old an intellectually-disabled girl on the bus.

State police said they received a report on Feb. 28 about sexual contact between an 11-year-old girl and a bus driver for Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC.

State police charged 39-year-old Luis Cruz, of Bridgeport, with fourth-degree sexual assault. Cruz worked as a bus driver for Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC, which transports those with special needs, but has been terminated.

The arrest warrant reveals that Connecticut State Police Troop G in Bridgeport received a report from the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in late February and began investigating.

Documents reveal the incident took place about a month before in January. State police said the 11-year-old victim was picked up at her biological parent’s place to be transported back to her foster home in Bridgeport. Normally, transports occur on Tuesday and Thursday, not Wednesday, but this time they did, according to the arrest warrant. The paperwork also reveals that Cruz was not her regular bus driver.

Police said GPS data showed that Cruz's bus made an unscheduled stop at a parking lot in Newtown along Mile Hill Road for less than two minutes.

During the first interview with Cruz, police reported that the suspect did not mention the unscheduled stop but when presented with the GPS data he, "claimed he had pulled off the road to check that the victim was still wearing her seat belt."

Detectives questioned why the car was stopped for nearly two minutes.

"Detectives asked Cruz repeatedly if he had done anything else while in the lot to account for the additional time, and Cruz could provide no explanation other than to say he 'lost track of time'," the affidavit said. 

Cruz said when the victim made it home to her foster mother, she turned back around to point at him and said that he had touched her. He told police, "he was 'shocked' but gave no verbal response to the victim's claim." He said that the foster mother said, "'Don't worry about it', while making a spiral hand gesture to indicate the victim 'was not all there'," according to police documents. 

In the arrest warrant, police spoke to the foster mother who "described the victim as 'a sweet, loving, kind, non-aggressive child' with the mental capacity of a two-year-old."

The foster mother told police that the victim told her that Cruz had touched her private parts and that "Cruz reportedly responded by saying, 'She's lying. I don't know what she's talking about'."

The report said the foster mother "denied ever telling Cruz 'not to worry' about such a serious allegation. She also told detectives she would never diminish one of her foster children by referring to them as 'not all there'."

The foster mom went on to say that when she went back into the house, the victim again said, without prompting, that Cruz had touched her inappropriately.

The foster mom immediately began making calls to DCF.

During a second interview with Cruz, detectives said the suspect told them that during the unscheduled stop in the parking lot in Newtown he had been texting a friend. The arrest warrant said "when Cruz showed detectives the text thread which he considered his alibi, there was no active texting taking place at the time of the crime."

Eventually, the arrest warrant states that Cruz provided a recorded verbal statement that he pulled into the parking lot "with the sole intent of touching the victim's (private part). Cruz indicated that he believed the victim was sleeping and would be unaware of the contact."

Cruz also said he did not manage to reach the victim's private part, "he stated that he was only able to reach the victim's inner thighs."

The bus company, Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC released a statement saying that they fired Cruz when they found out about the allegation.

Here is their full statement from Chet Doheny, president and CEO of Connecticut Transportation Solutions, LLC:

Connecticut Transportation Solutions takes the safety of the students and passengers utilizing our transport services very seriously. We ensure all of our drivers go through an extensive background check satisfying all the credentialing requirements of the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Transportation, and the Department of Children and Families.

The driver in this case met all mandated requirements and when concerns were brought to our attention we took immediate action, including contacting police and other appropriate state agencies as well as terminating employment. We have and will continue to support the Connecticut State Police in this investigation.

We know the level of trust and confidence parents and guardians place in us. This is not something we take lightly. This company will continue to put student and passenger safety first.

Any questions regarding details of the investigation should be directed toward the State Police.

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