AISD driver says he only hugged girl
Offers of candy to schoolchildren on bus cited in sexual assault trial.
Walnut Creek Elementary students were greeted with Life Savers candy when they boarded driver Leon Young’s bus in the 2014-15 school year — he rewarded well-behaved children with frequent handouts while declining to offer candy to the troublemakers.
That practice came up during a police interview three years ago after a 6-year-old female student said he had touched her.
Young, who had been driving for Austin schools for about three years after a long career selling cars, is on trial this week accused of sexually assaulting the child, who took his bus to and from school on a regular basis.
Young, 64, pleaded not guilty and has denied the claims. He did admit to hugging her, telling school district police that he did so every morning and afternoon.
“I know I’m not supposed to touch them,” Young said in the police interview, video of which was shown to jurors Wednesday.
Young’s defense largely centers on him disputing statements by the girl, who is now 9. She has yet to testify.
The investigation began in April 2015 after another bus passenger told a friend she had witnessed Young touching the girl. The friend relayed the conversation to a teacher, who contacted the authorities. Meanwhile, police say they received a phone call from the girl’s mother, who said her daughter had corroborated the witness’ account.
Young faces one count of aggravated sexual assault of a child and one count of indecency with a child by contact.
In the police interview shown to the jury, Young repeatedly denied the accusations. But at one point, he appeared to suggest he might have touched the girl if he thought he could have gotten away with it.
“If I think I get by with something like that, I’m gonna do it,” he said.
The comment caught the attention of school district police Sgt. Tyvester Neal, who had grilled Young about why he would say something like that. He told Young he believed the girl and the witness were telling the truth. “They’re not just going to accuse someone of that,” he said. Young replied, “It’s happening right now.”
Neal then turned to the candy.
“When people try to groom children, when they try to get them to like them, do you know what they do?” he said.
Young replied, “Candy on a bus makes me a pervert?”
Months before the alleged attack, school staff had accused Young of touching the same girl as she waited for the bus after school. A nurse testified she saw the girl positioned between Young’s legs as he caressed her back for two or three minutes. The nurse contacted Assistant Principal Juan Zea, who testified he went outside and saw the same interaction between Young and the girl. He said he told the driver it was inappropriate.
Zea did not contact law enforcement after that incident, though he was obligated to do so. He was charged with failing to report the abuse and promptly resigned from the district.