This can't help ridership: JTA driver charged with raping minor on bus

[thelakelander]

By Matt Coleman
A Jacksonville Transportation Authority driver was charged with sexually assaulting a 12-year-old passenger early Monday morning.

A Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest report said the victim rode the bus driven by Sheldon Monte Ford, 44, on a daily basis.

But things changed Monday when the interior bus light was turned off and the girl was grabbed by the waist about 5:45 a.m., the arrest report said.

The victim sat at the back of the bus after the assault until she was dropped off at her stop, but she was too scared to tell anyone at first, the report said. She reported the assault after school.

Full article: http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-05-18/story/jta-driver-charged-raping-12-year-old-rider-bus-rider

[Keith-N-Jax]

Nah it wont help. Question why is 12yr out that early without adult supervision. When will people learn,you cant let children especially at that age and a girl out on their own. You just cant do it in our society now. Its not safe.

[Timkin]

Agree with you Keith.. The Bus Driver has issues that need to be dealt with..and hopefully they are terminated.

[Keith-N-Jax]

Were lucky in a way that this child was not killed. Normally they are killed after an assault like this. I hope she is ok.

[Livein32206]

Nah it wont help. Question why is 12yr out that early without adult supervision. When will people learn,you cant let children especially at that age and a girl out on their own. You just cant do it in our society now. Its not safe.

Sounds like she may have been on her way to school. Granted it's not safe out there, never really has been, but not everyone is able to escort their children to school and there's not school buses to pick up every child.

[buckethead]

Let's not blame the victim. A person should have a reasonable expectation of freedom from being forcibly sodomized by a bus driver.

I have daughters. As far as I'm concerned, if it happens to anyone's daughter, it happened to my daughter. I really hope (if the driver is truly guilty) that he doesn't survive another hour.

[Miss Fixit]

I agree with Buckethead - don't blame the victim or her parents.  She was probably on her way to school - lots of children her age ride the city bus due to cutbacks in school bus service and limited transportation to magnet schools, etc. 

This driver was previously charged with driving under the influence - wonder what else will come out as this investigation continues? 

[Keith-N-Jax]

No one is blamimg the victim or the parent. We all know some parents cant be with their children all the time, but it seems children that become victims are the ones walking alone, etc. So its a fine line. Sex offenders and crimminals are not worried about cut backs and whether you can take your children to school or not. Their hoping you dont.

[danno]

When I lived in the UK almost all of the buses for schools were public buses.  I often wondered if it would work here in some cases.  I have to admit though I would sometimes wait for the next bus to some if the one that arrived at my stop if it was full of screaming kids.

[Peg]

Teens are instructed to go aboard a JTA bus if they are in danger-  they have been Safe Place sites for years..... 

[Peg]

Ride To Read

In partnership with the Jacksonville Public Library Foundation, JTA's Ride to Read program provides young people the opportunity to improve their reading skills and expand their imagination at the library, while learning how to travel on a JTA bus. Children experience transportation independence, realizing the hundreds of places in Jacksonville that buses can take you.

Kids get a FREE "Ride to Read" with a Jacksonville Public Library card. Just flash your library card at any library location and receive a coupon to hop on a JTA bus. JTA offers children 17 & under, FREE transportation to all library locations.

http://www.jtafla.com/AboutJTA/showPage.aspx?Sel=29


The JTA Youth Jingle Jam winner will be announced today!

from their website:  Thank you to all entrants of the 2010 JTA Jingle Jam contest. The contest is now over, check back on May 19, 2010 at 1 p.m. to see who the winners are!

[Bill Ectric]

The bus driver should be in prison. For a long time. Maybe for life. It's nobody's fault but his.

[Shwaz]

I rode JTA from Mandarin to San Marco everyday for school when I was 14. A friend of mine & I were regularly harassed by inmates traveling for work release. Other than that I met some pretty cool people. The drivers were always friendly and would sometimes wake me up if I almost slept through my stop in the morning.

If this suspect didn't have any prior offenses I wouldn't blame JTA either. You never know when one of these psychopaths will surface.

[exnewsman]

Two words - due process.

[buckethead]

Well said, Mr Burgundy.

I fear I did not adhere to this basic tenet.