A Georgia school bus driver and seven students have been charged in relation to a violent attack of a 7-year-old student during a bus ride, reported WTOC.
According to the news report, a William James Middle School resource officer in Bulloch County received a report April 23 of an attack on the child during the morning bus route of April 18. Following the report, a criminal investigation into the incident was initiated.
Details from the investigation revealed that seven students ages 5 to 14 physically attacked a 7-year-old child during the bus ride to Mattie Lively Elementary School.
Capt. Todd Hutchens with the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office told local news reporters that one used his feet to stomp on the 7-year-old. Authorities said the nature of the attack was very violent, which led them to be very concerned for the safety of the 7-year-old as well as other children on the bus.
According to the article, the school nurse said the 7-year-old had multiple injuries, including heavy bruising. Video footage from the bus reportedly shows the seven students involved in the attack. Since then, all the students have been identified, suspended from school and charged with battery.
The bus driver, 70-year-old Joey Edwin Jackson, was also charged following the investigation. He faces charges of cruelty to children in the second degree and failure to report child abuse.
Hutches said via the article that Jackson did not pull over, did not call the bus garage to report an incident, and did not ask for help. Instead, he continued driving to the school. Jackson was fired for failing to follow mandatory reporter protocol. He had been employed by the district since October 2023.
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