Former school bus driver arrested child sexual abuse
A man who was formerly a bus driver employed by First Student in the Coachella Valley is facing several child sexual abuse charges following a January arrest.
59-year-old Samuel Ortega is facing three charges of committing lewd and lascivious acts with a child under 14, according to county jail records. He was set to appear in court at the Larson Justice Center in Indio Thursday for a preliminary hearing, but it was delayed.
According to court records, the alleged abuses occurred between August and November of 2018 .
A news release written by the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department reveals that on November 26, deputies first learned of a possible sexual assault of a minor in the 100 block of Clearwater Way in Rancho Mirage. Investigators were able to find evidence which corroborated accusations of sexual assault.
Ortega was arrested on January 24 at 3:00 p.m. in Cathedral City by deputies, according to jail records.
No additional information is available for release due to the age of the victim and sensitivity of the investigation.
Anyone with additional information is asked to call the Palm Desert Sheriff’s Station Investigations Bureau at (760) 836-1600.
Palm Springs Unified School District issued the following statement in response to the allegations against Ortega:
” The bus driver was employed by First Student at the time of the allegations, ” says Joan Boiko , Spokeswoman for Palm Springs Unified School District. ” They dismissed him following their immediate investigation of the allegations prior to the arrest. ” The District added that there were no other complaints from parents about Ortega.
First Student’s statement echoed PSUSD:
” At First Student, the safe and reliable transportation of our student passengers is our top priority. As soon as we were made aware of the allegations, Mr. Ortega was immediately removed from service, ” read a statement issued by First Student. ” He was terminated in December following our internal review. We are also supporting the police investigation any way we can. Behavior such as this is unacceptable and does not align with the standards we strive for in all we do. ”
He is being held on $500,000 bail in Indio Jail. He is scheduled to return to court on April 24.
