MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — A jury found a former Montgomery County school driver criminally responsible for sexually abusing four young girls who were part of a group of students with special needs that rode the bus.
The investigation into 67-year-old Etienne Kabongo began in July 2018 after one of the victims came forward following her assault. When officers investigated, they discovered a school bus surveillance video had footage of multiple incidents involving three other victims.
Two of the victims were minors at the time of their assaults, and the other two were 18 years old, according to police.
At the time of his arrest, the school district confirmed Kabongo, also known as Mr. Steve, was no longer employed.
>The video below is from a Aug 6, 2018 report.
Kabongo pleaded guilty to several charges, including Sexual Abuse of a Minor for the abuse of the four girls. However, he maintained that he was not criminally responsible due to an alleged mental disorder. On Thursday, a jury found Kabongo criminally responsible for the sexual assaults.
Kabongo faces up to 40 years in prison. He will be sentenced on March 30.
“Etienne Kabongo was entrusted with the safety of some of the most vulnerable members of our community and he violated that trust, using his position to sexually abuse the nonverbal students for which he was responsible," said State’s Attorney John McCarthy. "Thank you to Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Rubinstein for his work in holding this defendant accountable. We are grateful that justice has prevailed and hope it provides some comfort for the victims and their families."
